Flashpoint: A Smallville Tale
by CaptainTightPants12
Summary: Barry Allen has changed the course of history, now Clark faces an uncertain future.
1. Flashpoint

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **mentions of Clois, Barry/Iris

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I do own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** Barry Allen changes the course of history, leaving Clark Kent to face an uncertain future.

**Chapter:** #1, Flashpoint

**Author's Note:** For those of you coming over from _Kill Me or Kiss Me_, it's great to see you! To new faces, thanks for joining us! This is an idea that I've had for a long time, and I'm excited for my chance to share it. This isn't technically a _Smallville_ story, as it will be a blank slate where I hope to bring the best parts from all things Superman.

There will be similarities to _Smallville_, but there will also be big differences. You won't need any prior knowledge about either _Smallville_, any media related to _Superman_, or the _Flashpoint_ event. This merely serves as the event that allows us to go into this new world without the shackles of any previous continuity. Can't wait hear what you think!

* * *

Blood trickled into his eyes, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.

The weight of the Golden Gate Bridge literally rested on his shoulders. His x-ray vision told him that there were only about a dozen people left to get off before he cast it into the bay. He just barely managed to fly up onto the bridge before falling with a thud that left fractures across the concrete. He knelt, out of breath, out of fight.

"How did this happen?" he whispered to himself.

A breeze to his left told him a friend had arrived. He looked as faded as he felt. "It's bad, Clark."

"Barry..."

"Batman is dead. They took Wonder Woman. I can't even find Hal..." he ranted. "This is all my fault..."

Clark shook his head, "How could... How could any of _this_ be your fault?"

Barry swallowed as he let the guilt wash over him. "That woman. She told me this would happen. She told me that she needed my help. I thought she was crazy, but she was right, she knew the war was coming..."

"What are you talking about?" groaned Clark as he tried to stand.

"Three worlds... They need to come together... Too weak apart, but I know I can fix it," he ranted. "I can fix it all, but I have to break it all first... I know you'll find Lois, and I'll find Iris... We won't remember, but I know that we will find them..."

Clark tried to chase after Barry. Tried to make him explain what the hell he was talking about. But the pain was too much. It was only a couple dozen miles when Clark fell to the ground, all that was left to see what the _flash_ of red ahead. He closed his eyes, knowing that the war was lost, and just hoped that Barry could do whatever it was he thought needed to be done.

A sonic bomb sounded in the distance, and hope sprung. Barry Allen would change it all. A light flashed and...

**...Doomed Planet...**

"_You will travel far, my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you... even in the face of our death._"

**...Desperate Scientists...**

"_They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way._"

**...Last Hope...**

"_For this reason, above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... My only son._"

**...Kindly Couple...**

"_Sweetheart, we can't keep him. What are we gonna tell people? We found him out in a field?_"

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP**

His hand swung, his alarm fell victim to his annoyance. He groaned as he heard the plastic shards fall to the ground with a quiet trickle. Burrowing his face into his pillow, he tried to return to his dream. A huff against his back had other plans.

"Is that your way of saying you'd like breakfast now?" he muttered into the pillow.

A huff was all he received in reply. That made him at least smile before rolling over. "Fine. But one of these days you're going to learn how to make eggs, and you're going to be the one making breakfast, deal?"

The look he received told him to keep dreaming.

Clark stumbled out of bed, stumbling across the tiny one bedroom apartment. He narrowly hopped over a red boot carelessly forgotten after another long night. He made a mental note to stash that in case his landlord burst in again. He was a little late on the rent again. Instead, he grabbed two bowls out of the kitchen cabinet. The only two bowls they owned.

The sound of food dropped into each one was enough to bring his breakfast date out of the bedroom, slinking into what they pretended qualified as a kitchen. "Decide to join me after all?" he smirked.

Unamused was an understatement.

"Eat up, we've got a big day," he chuckled as he dropped the bowl to the ground in front of Kryp-, _Shelby_ as he was now to be called. "I know you probably think I'm a master chef with how I serve puppy-chow, but I need a day job."

The two of them ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, Clark finished off the milk with a quick sip from the carton. He did it just so he could hear his mom's voice in his head, '_Clark Kent, where did you learn your manners?!_'

"On a _farm_," he joked to himself.

Reaching down to scratch his pooch behind the ears, he walked back into the bedroom and plucked up one of the only two shirts he still had. Apartment fires weren't helpful in keeping his wardrobe stocked.

"Alright, Shelbs. I've gotta show. I have an interview at the _Daily Planet_ today, and I've got a _good_ feeling about it."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, that was a bit shorter than you can probably expect from my updates, but it's a lot to take in and I didn't want to push it. You probably get the idea of where this is going to go, Smallville never happened, but hopefully it's not a run-of-the-mill adaption of what we already know. The plan is to take the best bits of the Superman appearances across the various media platforms and give us an ideal Superman, and then hopefully tell some interesting stories.

Anyways, hopefully you guys liked it and I can't wait to hear your thoughts! I'll be trying to post a chapter every week, and those of you that came over from Kill Me or Kiss Me, don't worry, I'll still be posting there as well. Shoot me some review, I love hearing from you guys and I'll respond to them all, good or bad. Thanks for reading!


	2. the Funny Pages

**Review Comments:**

_**Jeremy Shane**_ - Thanks!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I'm glad too! It's been a long time coming! Well, that's what I was hoping for! haha. Well, since I don't expect we'll be diving too much into who, how, why Barry did what he did, I'm sure there's no harm in telling you, haha. The woman in question is Pandora, whom is basically responsible for the New 52 alongside Barry Allen. Not much is known about her yet, but she came to Barry because of his ability to manipulate the time stream.

I'm excited for him to arrive at the Daily Planet as well! And I'm always excited to get my favorite intrepid reporter into the story because you know how I love to write her! Clark will likely never know that things have changed though. I was hoping people thought at first that Shelby was Lois, and then were surprised to find he's never even been to the Daily Planet, haha.

_**Lilbit4**_ - I'm glad you're liking it!

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - Glad to hear that! Hopefully you'll like this one as well!

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - Lois won't appear until the next chapter, but hopefully this works too!

_**cherylnixon**_ - Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys think too!

_**Tomarisun**_ - It was Pandora, but I'm not really sure that she'll ever really factor into the story since I'm not really planning on having these characters ever known their was a pre-Flashpoint world for them. I too am extremely curious what role she will play in the comics, especially since one of my favorite books is the _Justice League Dark_, and the last issue had a pretty big moment at the end that definitely hinted that we haven't see the last of Pandora!

They are not together anymore either, but like Clois, I strongly believe that we will see Iris and Barry end up together in the long run. I actually love how Iris is being written so far, the Flash book is soooo good. Francis Manapul is proving to be an ace writer as well as, to me, the best artist not named Jim Lee. It was weird to see Arthur and Mera still together with so many other couples breaking up, but Mera's story does play into the Aquaman side of things so strongly, I suppose I understand.

_**SmallvilleAU50**_ - I'm glad that you like it! And hopefully you'll enjoy the things to come!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing:** mentions of the Kents

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #2, the Funny Pages

**Author's Note:** So, now that the set-up is done, this serves as a bit of a prologue, as well as a chance to show how things are different this time around. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this last bit of set-up before we jump full on into the story!

* * *

The walk was a long one. Clark's apartment was a much longer stroll than one would tend to take. The average person would have caught the subway or hailed a cab. But a walk was what he needed. It gave him time to think. He reached up and pushed his glasses back up his nose. They always slid down when he was walking. Or sitting. Or pretty much anything else that required any physical motion.

Which brought him to what he wanted to think about. _Home_.

_"Do I really have to wear these?"_

_A chuckle was his reply. "Your mother thinks they'll help with the recognizing thing."_

_Clark gave him a stern look, "Do you really think a pair of nerdy glasses are going to keep people from recognizing me?"_

_"Hey now, those were my old glasses, son," laughed Jonathan. "But it's more than the glasses. It's the slouching. It's the nervousness, the bumbling thing? When people see the real you, and the things you can do, nobody is going to think that nervous Clark Kent is capable of anything like that."_

_His head dropped, "But why does Clark Kent have to be some bumbling weakling?"_

_"Son, I know it's going to be hard, pretending to be something you're not. I know it's going to be hard to make yourself feel so small, but unless you want to put on a mask, it's something you're going to have to do."_

_Clark's head shot up. "People don't trust people in masks, Dad."_

_"Then these..." Jonathan pointed at the glasses, "...and all of the act, will be the real mask."_

_Clark nodded. "But what if people do recognize me? What then?"_

_With a smile, Jonathan pulled his hat off his head. "Maybe this will help."_

_He frowned as he took the hat, rubbing the Smallville High stitching. "But you love this thing..."_

_"I like this hat, Clark... But I love you," he smiled. "I bought this hat when you made the football team."_

_Clark frowned, "You made me quit the football team."_

_Jonathan smiled, "But I sure did enjoy watching you as the water-boy. Besides, if you're worried about people seeing who you are behind those glasses, this might help. In those movies you like, they can always throw on an old ball-cap and a pair of sunglasses and your own mother wouldn't be able to recognize you."_

_"Those movies are from the stone-age, Dad," chuckled Clark._

_"Hey now, I took your mother to see some of those movies!" he laughed._

_Clark rolled his eyes, "I'll wear it, but only because it'll remind me of home. Where my roots are... Are you going to be ok without me to help on the farm? I can come home on the weekends, it's a short flight."_

_Jonathan shook his head, "Son, your mother and I always knew you were destined for big things. Things bigger than this old farm. We'll be fine. Pete Ross even offered to come on as a hand, and Ben Hubbard offered to look after the back forty. It's the world that needs you. We've put it off for long enough. It's time to show the world what you can do."_

_"I think I'm more nervous about that suit than anything," sighed Clark._

_He nudged Clark with a smile, "Don't let your mom hear that, she worked hard on it."_

_"I know, it's just... Underwear on the outside?"_

_Jonathan shrugged, "That's what they're supposed to look like, Clark. She went on down to the library and borrowed one of them super-hero books. She copied it right out of the funny pages, all but that big 'S' anyways, that was all yours."_

_Clark chuckled, "So that's my destiny? The funny pages?"_

_"No, Son. Your destiny is to go out there and show the world that the impossible is possible. You can do so much, and I'm not just talking about bending horseshoes with your bare hands. When the world sees you, the real you, they're going to believe again. They're going to believe in compassion, they're going to believe in hope again. The world needs that."_

_"What if I'm not the person you think I am? What if I fail?"_

_Jonathan gave him a stern look, "You won't. You've got more courage, more determination, more compassion than any man I've ever known, Clark. You make me so proud, and I know you're going to touch the lives of so many people. You're going to be a symbol for the whole world. You're going to inspire them out of the darkness."_

_Clark smiled a small smile, "I've gotta get a day job first."_

He found himself standing in front of the Daily Planet all too soon. He faintly wondered if he'd super-sped here without realizing it. Looking the building up and down, Clark had never felt more small in his entire life.

'_But I guess that's the idea,_' he told himself.

He wanted to be the hero that his father believed he could be, with the values his parents instilled in him, but Metropolis was an expensive city and he needed a job. One where he'd find out about emergencies as they happened. Since he didn't want to carry a gun or ride in a firetruck when he could be there in a flash, a reporter job was ideal.

Eyes on the emergency, not on the man slipping away. He took a deep breath and made his way inside.

'_Welcome to the funny pages, Clark Kent._'

* * *

**Author's Note:** That's right folks, Jonathan Kent is still alive. This is one of the major changes from _Smallville_, or even the _Superman_ movies, that I want to explore. Jonathan being alive when Clark becomes Superman, whom he has not become quite yet. This pretty much ends the prologue portion, and we'll be jumping into the main story in the next chapter.

Anyways, make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you've thought so far! I'm excited for what comes next because we're two chapters in and we've only seen Clark, Krypto/Shelby, and Jonathan. That all changes in #3!


	3. Partners?

**Review Comments:**

_**SerenadingSerendipity**_ - Jonathan is one of my favorite characters, and I love getting to write him, but I'm especially excited because my favorite Jonathan scenes from the comics are when Clark is already Superman. I'm excited that I'll get to write those kinds of scenes in this story.

_**cherylnixon**_ - They're going to play a rather interesting role in this story, especially with whom they bond with early on.

_**C.A.M.S 22**_ - I'm glad you liked it!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I think you're going to enjoy his role in this story, especially with whom he bonds with quite early on in the story, which will create tons of havoc for poor Clark, haha. Oh, no, I wouldn't bring back Clana, hahaha. Though I won't say she isn't a part of the story, I will say that Clark already has his hands full with a certain _other_ LL, haha.

I think you'll see several familiar faces in this one, but there's one that will stand out the most, haha. Yes, the changes that were brought on by Pandora brought together the Vertigo (Zatanna, Constantine, Swamp Thing, etc.), DC (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.) and Wildstorm (Team 7, Grifter, WildC.A.T.S. etc.) universes together and ultimately ended the marriage between Lois and Clark. Honestly, I don't think anyone knows which side she is on, though she does clearly want to help the DCNU save themselves from whatever war is coming this summer, haha.

_**Jas-El**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! And I'm hoping Jonathan's survival will be a key focal point in what people like about the change, because I'm sure there will be some that aren't as popular, though fingers crossed! haha.

_**Katlynne**_ - You be crazy, you know that?

_**Tomarisun**_ - Only time will tell! haha. Lois will make her first appearance in this chapter.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing:** mentions of one-sided Jeff/Lois

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #3, Partners?

**Author's Note:** I know this one is a little late, but here we go! Dive in with me! Enjoy!

* * *

He wasn't usually the one for sweating. _Ever_.

But this wasn't what you'd call a usual situation for Clark Kent. He was a small-town guy who spent most days in what seemed like infinite fields. Now he was in one of the biggest cities in the world, crammed into the back office of the most prolific newspaper ever printed. To make matters worse, the editor was staring him down at the moment.

A cigar swaying in his mouth, eyes hopping from his resume to the four-eyed hopeful reporter sitting nervously. A quick glance with his x-ray vision told him that he'd flipped to resume from the Smallville Torch.

'_I really hope Chloe gave me that glowing review she promised,_' he swallowed and fidgeted with his collar.

The editor started to mutter under his breath, "Snappy prose... Fast typist..."

"I'm uh," he swallowed again. "I'm _really_ honored to be here, sir... Growing up back home, the Planet was the only paper they even bothered to sell at the market. It's really the only paper I could ever see myself working for-"

He jumped out of his chair, waving his hands in the air. "Don't kiss my ass, Kent," he appeased as he knocked the ashes off his cigar into the ashtray. "You've already got the job. What you need to be worried about is the fact that the newspaper industry is dying, and we need a big story. A '_Moses Talks To God'_ kind of story."

Clark pushed his glasses back up his nose, "I see, sir."

"We need something to put us back on the map. That _damned_ Luthor has been trying to buy us out for years, but I'm not about to pander to some _playboy_ in a suit who wants to tell me what I can put in my own _damn_ paper!"

His brow furrowed, "Lu- You mean _Lex_ Luthor?"

"Is there any other _Luthor_, Kent?"

"I guess not," blinked Clark.

Taking his surprise for nervousness of a big name like Lex Luthor, he felt the need to calm him down. "Look, I know that's a big name to drop, and it's not the only one you're going to hear around here. We're all impressed with you, Kent. When _she_ brought me your little blog, I thought she was kidding, but you've got the _right_ stuff!"

"She?"

The office door flung open, and a fiery brunette stood tall. "_What the hell, Perry?!_"

Perry White pointed a finger at the door and shook his head, "Don't even start with me!"

"What did I do _now_?!"

He growled, "The same thing you always do! Except _this_ time, you got _Olsen_ involved!"

She looked at him in shock, "He doesn't even have a _scratch_!"

"He has a _broken arm_!"

Rolling her eyes, she gave him an unimpressed look. "_Real_ journalism comes at a price, Chief! Olsen knew what he was getting himself into, and besides, it's not like he _can't_ do his job! That's what the camera strap is for, you only need _one_ hand to snap a picture!"

"I thought we had a talk about this after the incident with the _Hage_ boy?!"

"Jeff was all in puppy love with me and was trying to impress me, how was I supposed to know that he was going to lose his cool and take a swing at _Bruno Mannheim_?!" she waved her arms in the air.

Perry shook his head, "Why couldn't you just cover the Star City kid's return? Or even Wayne's?!"

"I'm not going to cover some frat boy who fell off a boat and landed on an island, this isn't _Lost_! And I told you, Grant already shipped up to Gotham to cover that story! She's the one that likes pretty rich boys! Quite frankly, I'm surprised you didn't try and send me to Coast City to cover that stupid explosion at Ferris Aircraft and the disappearing test pilot!"

Before he could snap back, she blew out the door. With a quick head shake, he turned back to Clark, whom was too busy watching the brunette storm off. "Kent... _Kent_? ...Kent!"

Clark snapped back to reality. "Oh, sorry sir," he shot Perry a nervous look. "Uh... who was _that_?"

A thought occurred to Perry and he motioned for Clark to follow him into the bullpen. He spun in his chair, grabbing his bag and slipping his Smallville High ball cap back on and followed his new editor-in-chief into the trenches. They worked their way up the center row, Clark had to duck to avoid a football being tossed over the cubicles.

When Clark looked up, Perry had stopped dead in his tracks, causing Clark to bump into him, "Sorry, sir."

"Kent, this is _Lois Lane_. Lane, this is _Clark Kent_."

He turned to see the same fiery brunette sitting in the messiest cubicle Clark had ever seen in his entire life. She looked him up and down for a second, "Nice to meet you." She looked to Perry, "I'm meeting him _why_?"

"Kent is your new partner, Lane."

Both of their eyes doubled in size as they gave Perry crazed looks. Both shouting, "_I don't need a partner!_"

"Mr. White, I am really better off working on my own," Clark pleaded.

Lois turned on him, "Oh, so you think you're too good to be my partner..." she eyed his hat, "..._Smallville_? You're way out of your league in the big city. You might be _Mr. Wizard_ online, but here? I'm _top banana_, got it?"

Clark gave her an unamused look, "You like to be on _top_, got it."

Perry smirked to himself, '_I'm so damn smart..._'

"Funny," she growled. "Look, Chief, I don't _do_ partners. You know that. At worst, I do _Olsen_," she paused for a moment and a snarl took over, "Shit down and shut your face, Lombard, before I shut it _for_ you."

In the background, a saddened Steve Lombard sank back into his cubicle. Ron Troupe could be heard chuckling.

"You need to be a little more _disciplined_, Lane," Clark smirked before Perry turned on him. "And you need some _fire_, Kent. I think you two working together will help each other accomplish those goals."

Lois shook her head, "I don't have time for this. I have the LexCorp conference in an hour. He's introducing some new _gizmo_ and I don't want to miss out on making _bald jokes_ in front of the press corps. I don't have time for _rookie_ training."

"Too bad, Lane," shrugged Perry as he walked away.

She turned on Clark, read to snap before having a moment of realization. "You're _tall_. Strong shoulders?"

"Excuse me?"

She smirked, "Luthor and I have a, well, we have a _history_. I might have prettied up one of his security thugs with a mean right hook, so we're probably going to have to break in. I'll need a lift, and Olsen's are a tad _shaky_."

"Uh..."

She took off before he could reply. Across the row, a red headed photographer in an arm cast chuckled, "_Kent_, right?" Clark nodded. "Good luck, man. Oh, and she gets real _quiet_? Duck. She's probably going to take a _swing_ at you."

Clark gave him a funny look, unsure if he was serious or not. "Thanks."

He threw his bag over his shoulder, starting to take off with a bit of worry in his heart. She wasn't the only one with a bit of history with _Lex Luthor_, and he wasn't exactly sure how this was going to play out.

"Oh, and hey!" Clark turned back to see the red head again. "Welcome to the Daily Planet, CK."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, doesn't it feel better now that we have Lois in the fold? I don't know about you guys, but I love me some Lois and Clark rivalry. And in this one, we get a prime example of the kinds of references and call-backs that I love to slip in there with the '_Top Banana_' line from _the New Adventures of Lois & Clark_. I'm sure I'll have tons of littles bits like that, and I love it when you guys catch 'em so make sure to let me know when you do! I love little easter eggs like that!

Anyways, you know the drill on this, make sure to let me know what you thought about Lois and Clark meeting for the first time. I love hearing from you guys and it's the thing that makes me wanna write more! Thanks!


	4. Old Friends

**Review Comments:**

_**cathy03**_ - Mr. K is just one of those characters that everybody loves, so it felt all too natural to bring him back. I'm really excited about the kind of stories I'll get to write with him. The _Top Banana_ line is just one of those lines that I can't help but feel like, "That's _definitely_ something Lois would say." I had to include it, haha.

_**Jas-El**_ - Secret Origin is by far my favorite origin to date for Superman, and there will be a lot of pieces that are influenced by it, as you will see in this chapter. I haven't decided if he met the LOSH yet, you'll just have to keep an eye out for it, because I'm sure that I'll drop a hint about it if I decide to include his trip to the future or not.

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - I'm glad that you like how I write Lois, because of all of the characters, she is the one that I love writing the most. She's so much fun, and I feel like she just jumps off the page. The heroes are out there, and I'm excited for to bring them all together at some point, though some will take longer to appear than others.

_**gathers-no-moss**_ - I'm glad you liked it!

_**aj**_ - The Clois rivalry is by far one of my favorite things to write, it was a huge factor in deciding to write this kind of story.

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - After re-reading the line in question, I realized that it wasn't very clear one way or another, so I made sure to add a couple lines to explain what I meant in this chapter. Hope it answers your question!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Everything is better with Lois Lane, isn't it? haha. That line might make an appearance by the time I'm done, haha. Chloe is going to have an interesting role in this story, I haven't decided who she is going to be, but she definitely has roots in Smallville. It's worth noting that the version of Chloe Sullivan introduced in the comics didn't appear to be related to Lois, but I haven't decided what her story is going to be quite yet. So keep an eye out.

Lex makes his first appearance in this chapter, and I think that he's going to be as fun to write as Clois. I had pretty mixed feelings about the Man of Steel trailer, starting with the Jonathan scene and ending with that suit that I just can't get on board with, haha. Maybe it's just me, but it looks like a cross between Thor and Aquaman, haha. I'll be in line on opening night, but I'm standing by my prediction that the Smallville Finale will be better than Man of Steel.

_**Tomarisun**_ - It definitely has it's hazards being partnered with Lois Lane, haha.

_**Luna lopi**_ - I'm glad that you liked it!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #4, Old Friends

**Author's Note: **Things are starting to move right along now, and it's time for the real fun! Enjoy!

* * *

"Ouch, Lane... Lois... That's my face! You're going to... leave a shoe print... Ouch!"

She grunted as she hopped over the fence, "Don't be such a baby, _Smallville_." She landed on the other side, on her feet to Clark's surprise. Not many women could do that in six inch heels. "Just tell people they're frown lines, nobody will- _Woah_!"

Clark recoiled from her shout, "What?!"

"How did you get over the fence so fast?" she asked with a crazed expression.

He shrugged, "I'm in good shape."

Lois narrowed her eyes, "Was someone a delinquent in their youth? Climbing through your corn-fed girlfriend's window perhaps?"

"If you must know, Lane, I was considered one of the _good ones_ back where I'm from."

She rolled her eyes, "Do they even have _bad ones_ back where you're from, _Smallville_?"

Lois walked away before he could respond. He shook his head, already annoyed at her nickname for him. His thought were halted by the massive building at stood before him. Even bigger than the Daily Planet had been this morning. He couldn't take his eyes off what would have replaced the infamous spinning globe. Seven letters.

'_Speaking of the bad ones... LexCorp..._'

They were barely through the door five minutes, trying to blend into the crowd of other reporters, when Clark realized he could see the top of every reporter's head in this room. '_Slouch, Son..._' sounded in the back of his mind.

Too little too late as a security guard grabbed them both by the arm, "You're coming with me."

"Look, _Gunther_..." snapped Lois. "You see this little thing with the _babe_ and the _globe_ on it?" she pointed at her press badge with a fiery expression. "That's _me_, and it says _Daily Planet_ on it. We're here for the toy show, now get yours hand off me."

He didn't look amused, "Mr. Luthor has instructed me to remove you two from the press conference, and he will meet with you as soon as his presentation is over. The elevator will take you to his office."

They slid into the elevator and watched _Gunther_ enter a code into the control panel.

Lois growled, "Can you believe that Mr. Clean look-a-like yanked us out of the press conference?! The nerve!"

"Yeah, you'd think that _breaking-and-entering_ would count for _something_," deadpanned Clark.

She glared at him, "Why aren't you pissed? I've read your blog, you're never short on passion, Kent."

Clark turned to her, "Because I'm trying to figure out why Lex Luthor wants to give his least favorite reporter a private interview instead of throwing us out on the street. He is sending us up here for a reason, Lane."

"I knew _that_..." she muttered.

An awkward silence set in as they watched the numbers tick on the elevator dial. Clark swallowed, "Speaking of being his least favorite reporter..." Lois turned, eyebrow quirked. "Why is that? You said you two had _history_... Did you two-"

"He wishes!" she shouted. "I decked that _chrome-dome_ jackass in our first interview when he tried to _slime_ his way into my pants because I was writing a story that would have pinned him to the wall. He took it personally."

Clark nodded, "Oh."

"I don't date people like Lex Luthor," she huffed. "He's a _liar_, a _crook_, and does things in the _worst_ way. I happen to like the kind of guys who stand for _truth_, _justice_, and the _right_ way."

He chuckled, "That's a nice line. I'll have to use it some day."

As the elevator clicked open with a ding, Lois shot him a smirk. "I'm _way_ out of your league, Smallville."

She shot across the room and sat at the desk, trying to get into the computer. It wasn't everyday that Lex Luthor left you in his office unsupervised. Clark looked at the bookcase. This wasn't his first time.

"Going through my office, feels just like _old_ times," sounded a voice that Clark knew came with a smirk.

He didn't turn, but he did tense. Lois looked up, "I'm a news-hound, Luthor. Finding a story is in my _blood_."

"That's nice, Ms. Lane," he smiled. "But I was actually talking to Mr. _Kent_."

Lois turned and looked at her partner, now turned around, with a shock. "You know know each other?"

"We _used_ to," offered Clark.

"Actually, we used to be _great_ friends, didn't we Clark?" Lex grinned as he walked over to Clark. Lois would have thought they were still great friends if not for Clark's expression. "He was my resident tour guide in _Smallville_."

"Why the private meeting, Lex?"

Lex feigned offense. "I can't greet an old friend when he comes to the big city? I heard you were hired at the Daily Planet, I figured you'd be here, I asked my security team to look out for you. You've certainly come a long way since the days at the Smallville Torch, I knew you always had a bigger future than Smallville, Clark."

Lois frowned, "How did you hear about that? He just got the job _today_."

"He likes keeping _tabs_ on people, don't you Lex?" Clark muttered through gritted teeth.

"Just the ones I find _intriguing_, Clark."

She was about to open her mouth and ask what Lex found so intriguing about Clark when something caught her eye. In the distance, she couldn't quite make it out at first, but when she did... "Oh my god..."

Her voice broke their staring match as they turned to see what she was staring at. Clark squinted for a moment, and it all came into view clearly. A plane with dark smoke seeping from the engines. Lois turned from the window.

"Small- Where did he go?"

She turned back to the window, panic in her eyes. She could have sworn she saw something blue and red shoot across the skyline, but shook it off, chalking it up to the adrenaline and fear. If she had looked to her left, she would have noticed that even with a plane heading towards them, Lex Luthor smile etched across his features.

Clark braced himself as the plane crashed into his chest, a loud groan and moan erupted from his throat. It took everything he had not to pass out from the pain and fear. He managed to flip around, moving his back to the nose of the plane.

The steel peeled and folded like tinfoil beneath his grip, trying to pull up and away with all of his strength.

The LexCorp building loomed closer and closer, he could almost make out two figures in the penthouse window. He closed his eyes, shouting as he closed his eyes and gave it everything he had. '_Just... Up... Up... And away..._'

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know, I know, you'll have my blood for that cliff hanger, haha. What did you think? Things are definitely on pace to pick up, dontcha think? Has Superman been revealed to the world? Will he be? Only way to find out is tune in for next weeks chapter! And also, I've decided to do a little bit of a "_Secret Origin_" back-up story with every fifth chapter.

What that means, is there will be a shorter story that comes with the fifth chapter, and it could be about anything. It could be about Clark in Smallville, maybe about Lex Luthor's past, or maybe some other hero and their origins or what they're up to. I think we'll see some other heroes in the very near future, and the Secret Origin back-ups will sometimes be used to introduce them. Another thing that I'll be using them for is to show how different characters and their pasts might be.

So anyways, shoot me a review and let me know what you thought!


	5. Unexpected Visitors

**Review Comments:**

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - I'm not a big fan of Lois and Lex either, haha. I'm glad you're liking it though!

_**pnv101**_ - I will check it out right after I post this chapter, I'll review too!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! And time will only tell! haha. I'm pretty torn on whether or not I want it to do well, because honestly, I haven't been impressed with what I've seen so far and that kind makes me feel like I'd rather it fail so I can see someone else's take. Though I'd be happy to fall in love with it too, haha. And there's always the, "Maybe if it fails, we'll get a Smallville movie!" haha. There are directors out there that loved Smallville after all, haha.

_**Tomarisun**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! Only time will tell about Lex though! haha.

_**Snikrap32**_ - Will do! Glad you liked it!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing:** the Kents

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #5, Unexpected Visitors

**Author's Note:** What happened with the plane?! Find out here! Enjoy!

* * *

He swallowed as he stepped off the elevator, pulling his tie back into a messy knot.

Clark worked his way past his new colleagues, keeping an eye on the TV screens overhead. Listening and praying that their wouldn't be a mention about any little red and blue men zipping around. The flutter of voices and ringing phones gave him a moment to sigh in relief. '_I don't think anyone saw me..._' he calmed as he dropped his bag on his new desk.

The thud knocked his new Clark Kent nameplate to the floor, he reached down to pick it up, taking the moment to take a breath and center himself. It'd been his first moment to just breathe since the plane landed and then he got out of there as fast as he could. Even though it was all part of the plan, it wasn't the best moment for a camera flash-

"Smallville!" sounded a voice. "I found something that belongs to you!"

He closed his eyes, already knowing that nickname was going to drive him crazy. "Look, Lane... I- _Mom_? _Dad_?"

Martha and Jonathan stood on either side of one Lois Lane. "Clark, have you been eating?"

"Wha- Of course, Mom. What are you guys dong here?"

They exchanged looks, "Well, we told you that we'd come visit, Son."

Clark wanted to chuckle, "Yeah, but, I didn't think so soon, I wish you would have told me. I would have come and got you."

"We got to see the big city, Clark," smiled Jonathan. "They don't make 'em like this in Smallville."

Lois smirked, "Yeah, Smallville. It ain't Smallville." Clark shot her a dirty look. "Well, I'm going to leave you three to be, I've got a Pulitzer to ink. A pilot lands a 747 in Centennial Park without a single injury? Now that's a scoop, and everybody else was too busy at the LexCorp conference to beat me there. Even if I had to do it solo," she eyed Clark.

He almost gulped as she walked away. Lois shot him a look to let him know that she wasn't done with him, but he was just a little too pre-occupied with his parents to case. "Are you sure you're eating? You look thin."

Clark smiled, she'd never change. "Yes, Mom, it's just the extra big shirts we talked about."

Martha eyed him carefully, "I'll make you something when we get to your apartment. You do have food, don't you?"

"Actually, about that... I have to do something for work before I can go home-"

Jonathan waved his hand, "Lois told us about the plane."

"Yeah, and there's more than that, we're going to need to talk about my suit-"

His mother frowned, "I told you, that's how they're supposed to look, dear."

Clark shook his head, "No, it's not about the fashion part, it's... Well... You see..." he looked around nervously. "That, uh... That plane? It didn't land itself. I uh, I kind of had to... catch it."

Their eyes grew big as they exchanged looks, but after a moment, Jonathan reached out and clapped Clark on the shoulder like he used to when they played football on the back forty. "Nice catch, Son."

"Right," laughed Clark. "But uh, the suit didn't really hold up..."

Martha tilted her head, "What do you mean, it didn't hold up?"

Clark opened his mouth to speak, but words didn't really find their way out. He just kind of flapped his jaw around, but luckily, there was someone who was always willing to speak when he couldn't make himself.

"Smallville!" Did you hear about this guy exposing himself on the lower east-side?" howled Lois. "I guess he was taking advantage of all the police rushing to the Park, so the pervert ran buck-nude down Campbell in a cape!"

Mortified, Clark watched as his mother's hand shot to her mouth to suppress a laugh. Jonathan had to try and keep himself from snickering as well. "I don't suppose that was you, was it, Son?"

"I'm so sorry, Mom..." he nodded with a pained expression.

"It's ok, Clark," she giggled. "I wasn't sure that your suit would be able to take the things you do, at least everything but the cape. That came with you, so I was sure it was going to be strong like you."

He nodded in thanks, "I'm going to visit..." he looked around again nervously. "...my relative up north? If I'm really going to do this, I'm going to need something more durable, he might be able to help me out with that."

Martha nodded, "If it's made out of crystals like the rest of it, you better wear clean underwear, Clark."

Clark closed his eyes in embarrassment, "Of course, Mom..." then he remembered something. "...But I have to run back to LexCorp to get some quotes for my assignment, I had to run out of there before-"

"Yeah, what was that about anyways, Kent?" laughed Lois as she walked up. "Scared of a little ole plane rocketing towards you? Because if you can't take a plane to the face, I don't know if you're cut out for the Daily Planet."

He groaned inside, "Well, I've already taken a stiletto to the face today, so what's a plane?" Lois smiled at him, impressed he could keep up. "And not that it's any of your business, but I was busy trying to help security evacuate the building so that no one got hurt. There are some things more important than a story, Lane."

Lois tilted her head with a catty smile, "My hero."

"Don't worry, Clark..." cooed Martha as she rubbed his arm in approval. "We'll go out for dinner when you're done with your interviews. And Lois, you are of course more than welcome to join us for dinner."

Clark's eyes got big, "Oh, no, Mom... Lois is a very busy-"

"You know what, Mrs. K?" she cut Clark off with a smirk. "I'd love to." She turned full on to Clark. "It's a date, Smallville."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, so _that's_ happening, haha. Somehow, Superman has managed to keep his face out of the spotlight, luckily given his wardrobe malfunction, but with Lois Lane coming home for dinner, his secret has never been more at risk of coming out! Anyways, make sure to let me know what you guys thought!


	6. Secret Origin: the Island

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing:** None.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season.

**Summary:** A series of 'Kill me or Kiss Me?' moments.

**Chapter:** #6, Secret Origin: the Island

**Author's Note:** I totally forgot that I was supposed to post this! My bad!

* * *

"Son of a... Oh... That does _not_ feel good..."

He slowly crawled up the shoreline, casting aside the wooden board that had been his life-line. As soon as he felt dry land, he flopped onto his back with a groan of pain. "Six seasons of _Lost_, they never said crap about salt-water in a bullet wound."

The Island had been a godsend. There was really no way of knowing how long he had been floating out there. He weaved in-and-out of consciousness so often that he didn't know for sure if it had been minutes... hours... days...

To him, it felt like _years_.

"Who shoots a guy off a boat?" he grimaced. "What kind of asshole does that?" His head rolled back swaying back and forth as he took in the upside down tree line. "I really hope there's a _Big Mac_ growing one of those trees."

He was slow to his feet. The sand wasn't helping. However long he had been floating out there, he needed food. To him, tree line meant vegetation. Vegetation meant food growing on trees. Hopefully there'd be something that didn't kill him.

His eyes blinked, no doubt exhausted. The sunlight slipping through the branches made him squint, but he was pretty sure he saw coconuts at the top of the tree. He lined up with it, taking a deep breath. "Just like _Baloo_ and _Mowgli_."

Tearing off backwards, he ran into the tree with his back.

Pain shot through him like a freight train. It brought him to his knees. "That felt worse than the salt-water." A coconut fell at his knees, and he faintly wondered if God was toying with him by the timing. "_Convenient_."

He reached around for a rock, a branch, anything hard. He found a broken stone, giving him a nice pointed edge. Lifting the coconut as high as he could, he slammed it as hard as he could against the stone. Cracking his neck, he lifted his arms to try yet again, ignoring the pain in his shoulder from the bullet wound. This time, it had worked.

His fingers dug into the coconut the best they could. Tiny shaving were all he could manage. He looked at the pointed edge of the stone, he grimaced. "Dirty... But not the _most_ disgusting thing I've ever done..."

The stone carved him a nice slice of white deliciousness. "Oh, this is better than sex..."

Time once again moved without his knowledge as he consumed his, for lack of a better term, meal. He thought about how he was going to get off this island. How he would need to change his ways. He would have to become hard, not the millionaire playboy he had been. It was time for Oliver Queen to grow up if he was going to survive. It was time for change.

He scraped the final piece of coconut he could muster, enjoying it with a moan. "It'd be better with _rum_..."

_Baby steps._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I'm about to head out the door, I logged on to jot something down when I saw I hadn't posted this chapter I wanted to post it really quick. Hope everyone is having a great New Years!


	7. LexCorp

**Review Comments:**

_**gathers-no-moss**_ - I'm glad that you like it, because Lois is easily one of my favorite characters to write! Clark is up there too, of course, but there really isn't anyone quite like Lois Lane, haha.

_**queequeg1013**_ - It seemed like a very Lois Lane thing to say, haha.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - He might be ok with something more like the Season 11 suit, or even the New 52 suit, haha. I won't give up hope to see my Smallville Clois on the big screen, haha. I still wear my "_Bring Back Firefly_" shirt with pride, because years later, we got our Firefly move in Serenity, so I know there is always a chance! haha.

When writing my Superman script, I always wanted to find a way to pay tribute to the original suit while trying to come up with something a little more modern at the same time. I came up with the idea that he'd wear the classic suit, and then need a newer, stronger suit and well, this idea was just kind of hard to pass up, hahaha. You'll have to wait a chapter to see how the evening of Lois Lane goes for poor Clark, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait!

Things are more or less the same so far for Ollie, but this Island will be very different and it will create a different Oliver that comes home. His sense of humor will be there, but we'll see that there's a reason he likes to make his quips.

_**cloisfinally123**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! Even though I like Arrow, Ollie should always be funny!

_**Snikrap32**_ - Writing their banter was my biggest reason to write this story, so I'm glad that you enjoyed it! And I wanted to pay tribute to the original suit before paving way for something a little more modern, so the idea served two purposes. Yeah, I think Ollie has a tough go of it, but he'll be far from the only hero to have some struggles along the way.

_**Tomarisun**_ - I'm glad that you liked them! I kind of put Clark through hell a little bit with Lois and the Kents, but isn't that what they're there for? haha. The suit debacle will pave the way for something a little more modern, taking threads from both Season 11 and the New 52 suits, so it kind of set that up. Ollie still has his sense of humor, but when we see him come back from the Island, we're going to see a different sort of Oliver than the one we saw on Smallville.

_**Renohan**_ - I thought it would be a nice challenge to try and write something beyond the shackles of the continuity of Smallville while trying to hit some of the same notes that caused us to love Smallville in the first place. As for Bart, I think it's important to remember that wasn't Bart, but actually Barry Allen. And that's who we will see down the road.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #7, LexCorp

**Author's Note:** This was originally going to be in #4, but I couldn't get rid of Lois for the moment to happen! Enjoy!

* * *

As the door started to swing shut, an arm shot in the opening and stopped it.

"Excuse me!"

The Janitor's eyes grew big, "Hold on! I"m coming! I'm coming!"

He pried the the door open to reveal Clark Kent standing on the other side, now brushing off his sleeve. "Thank you..."

"But..." the Janitor shook his head. "You're ok?"

Clark's eyebrows shot up, "Uh, yes?"

The Janitor blinked a few times, "I did the same thing a year ago and this door broke my arm, it's a security door."

Gulping, Clark looked away shiftily before meeting the Janitor's gaze. "I drink a lot of milk. I grew up on a farm."

"I guess I should change my diet," he offered in a dazed look. His eyes shot to Clark's press badge. "Oh, I'm sorry, but they're all cleared out in here. The conference was interrupted by the plane thing in Centennial Park."

Clark sighed, "Perfect..."

He felt bad for the kid. "I think some of the signs and posters are still up though?"

"Thanks, I appreciate it," smiled Clark as he stepped into the conference room.

A room like the conference room only showed how big it way when you saw all the chairs without people in them. There were a few posters left, nothing informative beyond the title of the conference, _Project Metallo_. Clark sat down in one of the chair with a thud. '_First day at the Daily Planet and I've already screwed things up..._'

"If the Daily Planet needs one, I'd be glad to give you a few quotes."

Clark's head slowly lifted, "I don't need a quote from _you._"

His expensive shoes clacked against the floor. "Considering it's my multi-million dollar project, I would think I'd be the best person you could possibly get a quote from, Clark. Don't want go back to White empty handed, do you?"

"I'd rather go back with nothing, than some hand-out lie from Lex Luthor."

Lex tilted his head, "I know we've had our differences-"

"What difference are you referring to, Lex?" snapped Clark. "The one where you come to my hometown and pretend to be my friend so you can find out about some mysterious _Superboy_? Or maybe it's the difference where the only reason you wanted to find him was so you could experiment on him and build yourself an army?"

A smirk was what he received. "I have contracts with the military, Clark. If someone with abilities was willing to step forward and work hand-in-hand with the government, we could better arm our military and protect our country."

"Work together?" laughed Clark. "Is that what you call a facility of innocent people, kept under lock-and-key and forced into tests and trials to learn how to make the perfect super-army? Don't play games with me, Lex. I know what you want. I know that this Metallo project is just a consolation prize because you could never find that Superboy you were after."

Calculating his opponent, Lex folded his arm. "Considering that you never even posted these claims on that blog of yours, it would seem that you knew you didn't have the evidence to support such _outlandish_ theories."

Clark gritted his teeth, "We had evidence, and I know that you destroyed it. Just like the facility."

"I hope you weren't implying I had anything to do with the fire that ravaged the Smallville Torch, Clark. I had to admit, _torching the Torch_ is so poetic I wish I could stake claim, but the reports indicated it was an electrical fire."

"How convient," growled Clark. It took all of his will to to keep his cool.

Lex shook his head, "We could have done great things together, you know that? You let that Sullivan girl convince you that I was a bad guy for looking at the bigger picture. It's interesting with all her insight, she never made it to Metropolis."

"It's a little hard to do much of anything when Lex Luthor has it out for you."

"Something tells me that we'll be seeing her soon enough," Lex shrugged. "She was the only person more interested in the Superboy than I was, and I have a feeling he's left the country-side for the big city."

Clark narrowed his eyes, "If there ever was a Superboy, you probably killed him when you burned down your lab."

"Planes don't right themselves fifty stories off the ground after falling out of the sky, Clark. You work at the Daily Planet now, I think it's time to grow up and not be so naive. I have to admit though, it's interesting that he'd arrive at the same time that you have, don't you think?" smirked Lex. "Perhaps you have a guardian angel looking after you."

A beep from Clark's pocket ended their scaring contest. He reached slowly into his pocket before breaking his gaze, looking down at a text that read as: _**Faster would be better, Smallville. Momma K is showing pics, wear enough plaid?**_

"Does that make you the devil, Lex?" Clark retorted. "I'm sorry to break this up, but it's time for me to go."

Lex smirked, "I'm sure we'll see each other soon enough. Keep an eye out for that Superboy, won't you, Clark?"

"I never saw him in Smallville, Lex," offered Clark. "What makes you think I'll see him here?"

He knocked into Lex had enough with his shoulder to send a message, but it took all the control he had not to send him through the wall. Lex grunted as quietly as he could, watching Clark lead the room. "We both know that answer..."

Clark had to walk a few blocks before he could get up the nerve to use his powers, but even then he was scared. He never really knew what Lex actually knew, but he was more than aware that Lex had his suspicions. For all he knew, Lex Luthor knew that Clark was an alien from outer-space. He wanted to tell him a million times, but things were different then.

After seeing what Lex did to those people, things changed forever. He had gathered them from all over the world, and they were nothing more than lab rats to Lex. He'd never tell Lex his secret, not so he could land himself in a cage.

His phone beeped again. _**You look so cute naked!**_

He didn't have time to worry about Lex Luthor or his motives. Clark had another L.L. trying to ruin his life, and his mother was had the baby pictures out, it was time to break out the super-speed.

* * *

**Author's** **Note:** Well, what did you think? First off, I just want to say that I hope everyone had an excellent holiday and an awesome New Years! Sorry this came out a little late, been having some technical difficulties back home that have been taking up a lot of my time and I haven't had a chance to hop on and answer reviews and post. Luckily, that's all taken care of now and things should be back to normal! Let me know what you thought about this latest chapter!

Does Lex know? If so, how much does he know?! If not, what does he suspect?! Questions a plenty! But would it really be a Lex Luthor-centric chapter if there wasn't some mystery of his motives?! I think not! haha.


	8. Dinner with the Kents

**Review Comments:**

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - I'm glad that you're enjoying it! Yup, true Browncoat through and through right here, haha.

_**Jas- El** _- Thanks! I'm glad that you like how Lex is coming along, this is basically how I'd write Lex if I was writing the comics and for me, the best Lex is one that can be a bit scary while maintaining that charming image. You never really know what is up his sleeve because for him, information is the greatest super-power. Only time will tell about Metallo and Parasite though, haha.

_**White-Falcon-06** _- I'm glad you think so! I love writing those two!

_**LoisNClark4Ever** _- He's definitely got his suspicions about our dear Mr. Kent, and you really do have to step back and notice, "Gee, it's pretty interesting that Superboy disappeared in Smallville when you left, and appeared in Metropolis when you arrived. Isn't that peculiar?" But Lex also has other reasons for why he has his suspicions that will get fleshed out soon!

Lois is just enjoying messing with Clark a little too much, isn't she? haha.

I think there will be elements that are similar to how Oliver has been portrayed on Arrow, but I always think of Ollie being a lot closer to Tony Stark than Bruce Wayne. He'll still be a humorous character, but he's also damaged. His humor is kind of a shield to cover those scars. You'll see him sooner than later, and as for Tess, I'll just say keep your eyes peeled, haha. The suit situation is going to be resolved very soon, I can't keep you guys waiting forever to see Superman, haha.

_**Snikrap32** _- Well, then you'll like this chapter, it's all chaos brought on by one Lois Lane, haha.

_**vanyra** _- I'm glad that you liked them! I try hard to give them their own voices!

_**Tomarisun** _- It's also fun to write Clark and Lex, but everyone knows my true love in writing Lois and Clark, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **The Kents, hints of Clois.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #8, Dinner with the Kents

**Author's Note:** I know I'm a couple days late, I need to set a reminder in my phone, haha. Enjoy!

* * *

"Mom, Dad?"

He opened the door and slowly entered, only to hear, "Catch!"

His head shot up a second too late as he got hit in the face with a football. "Oh come on, Smallville. Your dad told me you were on the _football_ team, don't you know how to _catch_?" snickered a voice.

Clark pretended to shake his head in pain, "I was the water-boy, Lane."

She picked up the football, "Poor Clarky..." she cooed. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she gave him an understanding look. "If it makes you feel better, when I was in high school... I was _still_ awesome. Actually, I've _always_ been awesome."

"I was just telling Lois about your glory days, Son," chuckled Jonathan as Clark shot Lois a dirty look.

Clark groaned, "I heard you have the _baby pictures_ out?"

Martha nodded excitedly, "Pete Ross showed me how to put them all on my Q-Pad!"

"What's a _Q-Pad_?"

Lois tilted her head, "The tablet gizmo from Queen Industries? Join us in the 21st Century, Smallville."

He glanced over to see Martha holding up a picture of him wearing plaid, and no pants. "Mom! Don't you think it might be a _little_ embarrassing to show pictures like that to someone I just met?"

"Oh, Clark, honey, you were only a _baby_," she waved off his embarrassment.

"Yeah, Smallville," Lois smirked. "You were _only_ a baby," she snickered while pinching his cheek. Her phone started to ring, a second later, she was sprinting to the door, "I gotta take this, no pictures without me!"

When she was out the door, Clark turned to his parents with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry I'm late, guys," offered Clark. "I uh... I ran into Lex Luthor."

Jonathan furrowed his brow and exchanged a worried look with Martha, "I thought we were going to try and _avoid_ that."

He nodded, "The Daily Planet had other ideas, I guess."

"Clark, when we got home, Krypto wasn't here," asked a concerned Martha.

He raised his hand to wave off her worries, "When I found out that Lois would be here, I flew home on my way to LexCorp and took him to the Fortress. I did want him taking a _bite_ out of the coffee table in front of Lois."

Jonathan nodded in approval, "Good idea, Son."

"What's a good idea?" asked Lois, whom reappeared from outside.

"I thought you were on the phone?"

She shrugged, "It was a source that I've gotta meet up with later, they were telling me a time and place. You might do things the old fashioned way, but I know people, Smallville. That's why I'm the _Top Banana_, remember?"

Clark smirked, "I haven't forgotten that you like to be on _top_, Lane."

"How could you?" she smirked back.

Jonathan and Martha exchanged smirks of their own. "Well, I was going to make us a home-cooked meal, but I'm afraid that Clark doesn't have any food in the apartment," Martha said while giving Clark a pointed look.

"I promise I'm eating, Mom."

Martha huffed. Lois gave them an amused smile, "Chinese on me?"

"Oh no, Lois," Jonathan waved off. "I can't have you paying for our food, sweetheart."

Lois shrugged, "Don't worry, Papa K, I stole your son's wallet while he was sassing me. Which reminds me, who's the babe in the cheerleading outfit, Smallville? You got a warm body back home you haven't told me about?"

The trio exchanged looks, "That's just someone that I used to know."

"_Mysterious_," Lois murmured. "I'll leave that one for another day, at least I know you have _some_ secrets, Kent."

Clark was relieved to hear that she was going to leave that one alone, for now. Jonathan squeezed her shoulder in comfort and it all seemed to go away. He tuned back in to hear Lois finish ordering what seemed like the entire menu.

"Oh, and what do you guys want?" she asked. Clark smirked, Lois glared. "What? I'm a _growing_ girl."

The Chinese food came, and it was actually pretty nice. Jonathan and Clark caught up about how the Smallville Crows were doing, Lois showed Martha how to make a picture of Clark her Q-Pad background. Lois even complemented Clark. Once. For catching her plate before it hit the ground. "You'd make a handy butler if your journalism career ever goes belly up."

"If I keep running around with you, _breaking into_ places, I might have to consider it," he retorted.

After a bit, the Kents decided to call it a night and Clark gave them his room, offering to sleep on the couch. Lois tossed him his fortune cookie before cracking her own open and reading it aloud.

"_You are destined to find a man who flies and wears tights_, where do they come up with this stuff?"

Clark snorted, "Sounds like a real catch, Lois."

She shrugged, "At least I know there's someone out there for me, even if it's a cross-dressing pilot."

"Mine says, _Lois Lane is going to be the death of you_. I think that's pretty spot-on."

Shaking her head with a laugh, "You just wait, someday you'll be _dying_ to get me to help you with a story."

"I'm surprised you've graced me with your company this long" he joked, trying to rid himself of the smile on his face.

She shrugged, "I could have been interviewing Bruce Wayne in Gotham, but I figured why settle for hot, rich, and famous when I could hang out with you? And not to mention the _infamous_ Kents of Smallville," she chuckled.

"Yeah, but you just met me today, you don't seem to be overly fond of me, and I haven't exactly been warm and cuddly with you either," Clark started. "What made you wanna stick around? Isn't Gotham more _interesting_?"

Lois twisted her face up in thought, "I think it's because I have a problem..."

Clark frowned, "A problem?"

She nodded, "I'm Lois Lane, and I'm addicted to messing with Smallville."

"Very funny, Lane."

She shrugged, "I'm a funny gal, Kent. You'll come to know that. But I've got a meeting with a source to get to, and you need your beauty sleep. You must not have got any last night," she smirked as she wagged her head.

He rolled his eyes as she slipped out the door. He glanced down at his fortune cookie one last time, reading it to aloud since he didn't read it for her. "_Beware of the bossy, the stuck-up, and the rude. The best ones start that way._"

Clark chuckled, "Yeah, _that'll_ be the day."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? haha. Looks like ole Lois Lane is becoming awfully close with the Kents, and hopefully this more funny/silly chapter will hold you over for a bit while we dive into more serious territory as we start to rev up the engine on this story and move things along now. But make sure to let me know what you thought!


	9. the Inside-Woman

**Review Comments:**

**_Jas-El_** - It's definitely a lot of fun to write the more banter-y, pre-romance Clois. By far one of the best parts of Smallville for me. We'll get to visit Smallville eventually, but I'm definitely having fun writing them in Metropolis right now. Especially since with the foundation down, I'll get to have a lot more of the Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Steve Lombard, Ron Troupe, and Cat Grant interactions.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - He might have enjoyed it a bit more than he'd let on, haha. And it's going to be fun to intertwine those bits, especially moving forward as we get deeper into their relationship. Superman's introduction to the World, and to Lois, is going to be a lot of fun to write and I'm working all of that out as I speak. It's a lot of fun deciding what to pay homage to and when to go for newer stuff.

Let's just say that, we'll be getting to see an old face with a new role, haha.

_**White-Falcon-06**_ - I don't really have any plans for Wonder Woman quite yet, definitely not in the romantic sense. But it does create an interesting idea and I can definitely see how that would play out, possibly even in the New 52.

_**Tomarisun**_ - The Kents quite like Lois much to the annoyance of Clark, haha.

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - I love getting to write them, they're the best part of writing about Superman for me.

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! Lois and the Kents was one of my favorite parts of Smallville, building on what was already a fantastic relationship between Lois and Clark. Having that relationship definitely makes them more of a family.

_**gathers-no-moss**_ - I'm glad that you liked it!

_**tua33915**_ - That was one of the biggest incentives to write a non-Smallville story, was to go back to the banter-y frenemies Clois.

_**cathy03**_ - I'm glad that you've liked them! It's been a ton of fun to write them and I'm excited about the next few chapters.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #9, the Inside-Woman

**Author's Note:** I'm pretty excited about this one, hope you guys like it!

* * *

"_Kent?!_"

Clark grimaced, standing up to see his editor-in-chief stomping his way. "Sir."

Perry shook his head, "Where's my _LexCorp_ story?"

"Uh... Well, you see..." Clark started to fumble with his words. "With the whole, uh, the whole _plane_ thing, I didn't-"

A hand grabbed his shoulder, "Don't worry, Chief. We got stone-walled by Luthor, surprise surprise, but I've got a meeting with my inside-gal. She's going to hook us up with a _scoop_ that'll make the Daily Star look like a _joke_."

Perry eyed the two of them, "Don't let me down, you two, or by the _grace_ of Elvis himself, heads will _roll_."

"Right, Chief," nodded Lois with an amused look. "Don't get all _melo-dramatic_ on me."

He turned on his heel and walked away, "Don't get _sassy_ with me, Lane, or I'll send you back to _Egypt_ to sort trinkets. And I don't mean to get drunk with that tomb-raiding _Hall_ fella again, I won't bail you out this time."

Lois rolled her eyes, "I didn't get _drunk_, I was _tipsy_."

"I"m sure it was very lady-like," muttered Clark. "Who is this inside-source you have?"

She turned and tilted her head, "Wouldn't you like to know?" He signed, knowing he was in for it now. She patted Clark's head with a smirk. "That's right, I _own_ your hay-chucking butt now. Now follow me, _quick like a bunny_."

Clark growled under his breath and followed her out of the newsroom.

"Do you want to explain to me what we're doing in the _sewers_, Lane?"

Lois rolled her eyes as she made sure to step strategically, "Don't be such a pansy, Smallville. Don't tell me that you're _scared_ of some rats? Don't they have those yard mice back in Hick's Ville, USA?"

"They're called field-mice," Clark snapped. "And I'm more concerned with _why_ we're stepping through the muck."

"LexCorp is like one of them mystery houses, all kinds of back entrances and hidden tunnels. If you ask me, it's because Lionel Luthor knew that the FBI or the CIA or any number of fuzz people ending in an '_I_' were going to come for him someday and he'd need a way out," Lois explained. "Lex has just as many enemies, probably _more_."

Clark grabbed her arm as she almost fell, "Careful, Lane. I'd just _hate_ to let you fall first face into this stuff."

Lois glared at him with a huff, "This isn't my first time, Smallville."

"Then why did you wear _six-inch heels_?"

She stopped in her tracks. "All the better to poke your eyes out, and since when do you dole out the fashion advice? You're still wearing that _stupid_ hat. And don't bring up your dad, because he already likes _me_ more than _you_."

Clark grumbled, "You were explaining why we're down _here_?"

"Right. My inside-source works in R&D, and there's a secret access door down here that I meet her at. She'll have all the info about Project: Metallo that we want, plus probably a few _dirty_ secrets we wouldn't have got at the conference."

A few more steps and they found a door, "See? _Access door_." Clark rolled his eyes and opened the door, stopping suddenly as they slid in from the sewer. "Haven't you figured out that I've got _all_ the answers-"

She was cut off Clark threw his hands in the air. "What are you- _Oh_..."

As they entered the room, a woman had drawn down on them. She held her gun well, not shaking in her hand at all, Clark knew that this woman had killed before and she would again. This was not the way he thought this was going to go.

The woman glared at Lois, and Clark got the feeling that Lois had, well, been very _Lois-y_ to this woman in the past.

"Look, we're not here to cause any trouble," Clark began in a nervous tone. Something that was more for his partner's benefit than his own, though he wasn't exactly keen on Lois finding out his secret if he was the one that got shot. The thought didn't keep him from sliding his foot her way a little in case he needed to step in front of her though.

Neither of the other two people in the room seemed concerned with him, he noticed.

Lois stepped towards the woman, "_Really_?" The woman tilted her head, a ghost of the smirk rested on her features. Lois rolled her eyes, "Are you going to shoot me this time? Or are you just going to _wave_ it in my face?"

After a moment, the woman lowered her gun.

"I'll let you live this time, Lane," she said in a catty voice. "Since you brought a _witness_."

Clark swallowed deeply, "You two know each other?"

The woman eyed Clark, "Did you bring me something to loosen my tongue, Lane? I do like them _tall_."

"Down," Lois shook her head. "He's my _newbie_, I don't need you putting your claws into him just yet. Smallville, this is my inside source. Clark Kent, meet the more hair follicle-y blessed Luthor, _Lutessa_."

She whipped around with a fury, "For the millionth time, Lane, my name is _Tess_."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Another member of the Smallville family, getting a Superman-esque introduction. Tess was just too fun of a character to leave out, dontcha think? She's going to be an exciting member of the cast and create a very interesting foil with Lex. And it doesn't hurt to make her and Lois kind-of-sort-of friends, haha. That'll be fun to write for sure, haha.

Anyways, make sure to let me know what you thought! Shoot me some reviews! Sorry it's a bit late!


	10. the Fortress of Solitude

**Review Comments:**

_**C.A.M.S 22**_ - I'm glad that you liked it, she'll get some time to shine very soon.

_**tua33915** _- I'm generally pretty proud of my dialogue more than the reset, so that's definitely appreciated to hear! Well, it's hard to put a word on ole Lois because she's definitely one of a kind, haha. Tess and Lois will have a very unusual relationship that I'm excited to write, but you're right, there's only one Clois.

_**LoisNClark4Ever** _- It's going to be an interesting dynamic with Tess, and we'll see her relationship with her brother very soon that I'm hoping will give her a very interesting dynamic between Clois and Lex. I was talking about Tess, but there are going to be plenty of new faces coming up. Things are doing to start churning pretty quick here.

_**Lilbit4** _- I'm glad you liked them!

_**cathy03**_ - She's going to be a little different this time around, but that won't change that she is a tough cookie to crack. She has her own agenda, and it won't always be what Lois and Clark would agree with.

_**Tomarisun**_ - I think Tess always had a thing for Clark, which it'd be hard not to, let's face it, haha. She isn't the kind of character that pulls her punches or that is scared to say what she's thinking, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing:** None.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season.

**Summary:** A series of 'Kill me or Kiss Me?' moments.

**Chapter:** #10, the Fortress of Solitude

**Author's Note:** Here we go! And those watching the Super Bowl, good luck with your respective teams!

* * *

"I don't know why you are _whining_ so much."

He sighed with exasperation, "Maybe because I was just held up at gun-point, Lane."

Lois rolled her eyes, "You're such a drama queen, Smallville. Tess is harmless. The only person I've actually been worried she might shoot is her brother. She's a little _bitter_ that her father left everything to Lex."

"You mean, Lionel Luthor left everything to _Lex_?"

She frowned, "Is that not what I just said?"

"No, well, yes, but it's just that... they never seemed all that _close_ to me," offered Clark.

Lois tilted her head, "Wait, you knew _Lionel Luthor_ too?"

He gulped a bit. This was one of those times that he wasn't sure how much he should tell Lois. Quite frankly, he would have liked it if she didn't know about his relationship to the Luthors at all. "We had a _friendship_."

"You get more and more interesting by the minute, you know that?" she shook her head in surprise.

Clark fidgeted a bit.

"I'll buy you a hot dog and you can tell me just how friendly you were with ole Lionel."

He smirked, "I appreciate you asking me out, Lane. I really do. But I have already have a lunch plans with a _relative_."

For almost anyone else, this blistering cold would have brought them to their knees. But Clark wasn't just anyone else, and as he threw a tennis ball down the armory hall for his flying dog, he found the whole thing kind of whimsical.

He proceeded to the center of his Fortress of Solitude, where the crystal console was positioned.

Clark coughed nervously, "Father?"

He still hadn't gotten used to the booming voice. He had trained for years here, trying to hone his abilities to their maximum capabilities, but speaking to the father he never knew in the middle of the arctic? It was a little bit awkward. The place was more like a museum and work space than a home away for home for Clark.

"Kal-El, you have returned, my son," boomed the voice.

Truth be told, he hadn't been to the Fortress in quite a while. Clark had journeyed the world for the last year. Trying to help where he could in the places that people tended to forget about. "I have, Jor-El. I'm sorry for my absence."

"When you began your training, you began a path to become Earth's greatest savior," echoed Jor-El. "You presence is meant to protect the people of this planet, Kal-El. An apology is unnecessary."

Clark smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Father. I've come to ask for help in that path."

"How may I assist you, my son?"

Reaching into his messenger bag and pulling out his cape, Clark held it into the air. "I wish to live two lives. One amongst the people, and one as a symbol. I've established a mask that will allow me to blend into the crowd, and now I need to create a symbol that will stand out from the shadows to help the people that need it."

"A wise decision, Kal-El."

"I tried to create a uniform, using the blanket from my ship in part, but only the kryptonian threads survived. I wanted to ask if there was a way to duplicate the threads. To make a uniform as indestructible as my own flesh."

Silence set across the Fortress. Clark was unsure if Jor-El was thinking, or if he didn't have an answer.

As he was about to speak out again, he noticed that the crystal console was shifting. Clark stepped forward and watched as one of the crystals started to raise from the console, almost as if to lift it out.

"This crystal, should you choose to use it, should facilitate what you require, Kal-El. It is created from the same technology that the Brain Interactive Construct was created from. It can break down into particles that even the naked eye of a kryptonian like yourself cannot detect, and yet expand and replicate to create a suit that you can don as a symbol for the people of this planet. Their configuration will respond directly to your mind, my son," explained Jor-El.

Clark reached out with a hint of awe in his eyes.

As his fingers touched the crystal, it broke down into millions of tiny pieces and raced across his body. At first, they seemed to disappear on his flesh, but upon inspection, the nanites actually disappeared into his flesh. He stood straight and with a mere thought, they erupted onto his skin and formed the same pattern as his mother's design.

"This is going to make changing into my suit a lot easier," he murmured under his breath.

He flexed, watching the suit respond in stride. It felt weightless on his body. With his thoughts, he made adjustments. The collar rose around his neck, the piping around his wrists turned red to contrast the blue. With a smirk, the trunks disappeared as he whispered to himself, "Sorry, mom. Time for a big boy suit."

"You will find that the nanites will be stronger than any element found on this planet, Kal-El."

Clark grinned, "What about kryptonite? Will it affect them at all?"

"Kryptonite's effect remains only on you, Kal-El. The suit will help shield you from the radiation, but they will not make you immune. You must still exercise extreme caution when near fragments of our home world," explained Jor-El.

"This is exactly what I needed, Father," grinned Clark. "Thank you."

In a flash, Clark was out of the Fortress and soaring through the sky. The suit felt great on his skin because, well, it was like a second layer of skin over his own flesh. He tested out the flexibility and it's resistance to the cold as he flew higher. His old suit didn't react well to the cold, but this was perfect. He couldn't wait to unveil it to the world.

_The World._

He had narrowly avoided being seen with the airplane in Centennial Park. It was only a matter of time before there was another emergency and this time, he was sure that the media wouldn't be far behind. That was a thought for another time as he made his way back down to Earth. He had work to do or Perry was going to kill him in his _sleep_.

Tonight was the opening of the _Project: Metallo_, and it was time to get a _big_ scoop.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did ya think? For those that are a bit more curious about the look of the suit, I imagine it a lot like the Season 11 suit with the New 52 collar and look of the wrists. The idea that it's actually able to disappear on Clark's body is actually the new status quo of the New 52 Superman, an idea that I think it brilliant and makes the whole armor look actually worth it for that one idea. We can play crazy reasoning game forever, but it's kind of crazy to think Clark is wearing the boots and the cape and the whole get-up under his Daily Planet clothes.

Anyways, shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	11. Care to make a wager?

**Review Comments:**

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - I'll keep an eye out for that in the future, thanks for the note!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - It is a nice touch isn't it? I really like that concept because one thing I hated about Superman Returns was that anyone who bumped into Clark's chest should have been able to feel the big plastic symbol on his chest. Not to mention how hard it must have been to wear his boots and cape under his regular clothes in any of the other movies/shows.

I'm glad that it feels like it's still got the essence of Superman, because that's definitely something you want to keep. Just try to give it a little bit more of a modern feel, perhaps just for Clark's sake so Lois doesn't make fun of him, haha.

_**Katlynne**_ - You're the best. Thank you, too kind. Now it's your turn, muahahaha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **the Kents, hints of Clois.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #11, Care to make a wager?

**Author's Note:** He's got the suit, now he needs his moment in the sun, haha.

* * *

Clark made it back to the Daily Planet before Lois had even finished wolfing down her hotdog.

"You split some mustard on your skirt," he smirked.

She eyed him with a slight rage for a moment, "Did I now?" He started to nod when Lois threw what was left of her hot dog at him. "Whoops. Looks like you've got a little something on your shirt, Smallville."

"Clark! Your shirt! Sometimes you're so careless!" shrieked Martha.

Lois smirked, "I was just telling him, Mrs. K. He needs to be more _careful_."

"Well, you'll look after him now, won't you, Lois?" asked Jonathan.

She wagged her head at Clark, whom was glaring daggers. "I won't take my eye off him, Mr. K."

Clark all but stomped over to his desk and looked for something to wipe off the ketchup and mustard on his shirt, Jonathan followed him but Martha pulled Lois aside for a moment as Jonathan and Clark cleaned up.

"Lois..." Martha chose her words carefully, "I don't want to speak _badly_ of my son, I know he is a great man and any young lady would be _lucky_ to have him, but before we leave, I couldn't help but wonder why you came over last night..."

Her eyes kind of bugged out. Martha thought she was here because she had, some sort of _romantic_ feelings for Clark. Lois kind of swallowed deeply for a moment, wondering if she did. "Your son _confuses_ me, Mrs. K."

Martha tilted her head, "Clark? _Really_?"

"When I met him... I saw this _nervous_, bumbling guy who goes through his life with only his good intentions under his belt and I thought this city is going to _eat_ him alive," explained Lois. "But then you look _past_ those glasses that overtake his face, and you listen to his _voice_. Not the voice he has for everyone else, the voice I hear when it's just _me_ and _him_..."

A smile crept up across Martha's features.

"It's confident. And it's insightful. And there's this, kind of... _strength_ to it. And I look up into his eyes, big and puppy dog like as of course they have to be, and I can see the _story_. His eyes tell the _whole_ story. He _wants_ to be underestimated."

"Clark _trusts_ you, Lois," shrugged Martha. "Even if he doesn't know it _yet_."

Lois felt her eyebrows shoot up. She wasn't expecting Martha to put it so... _simply_.

"He's always been scared that if people knew the _real_ Clark, they wouldn't accept him. He's always felt like he had to walk on eggshells, duck his head, and just try to _blend_ in," sighed Martha. "I know my son, and I think he knows that he can trust you and that when the cards are all on the table, you'll still see him as Smallville."

She tilted her head, "What could he possibly be so _scared_ of that would make me see him _differently_?"

Martha shrugged, "Men are _idiots_."

Lois laughed, "I like you, Mrs. K."

"That's good," smiled Martha. "Because you're growing on _all_ of the Kents, Lois."

They shared a hug, and for whatever reason, Lois was certain that she was going to miss the two of them. Martha leaned back with a smile that told her the feeling was mutual. "I will call you as soon as we get back to Smallville."

"Uh, what about me, Mom?"

Martha rolled her eyes. They both knew he'd visit plenty, he could travel quicker than Lois ever could. "Yes, you too, Son."

She reached out and gave him a fierce hug, whispering he needed to eat more and visit soon. Jonathan shared a hug with Lois as well. "We'll be back soon, but you two need to come to Smallville to visit."

Before Clark could get a word out, Lois was nodding. "Of course, Mrs. K. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"We'll see, Mom," grimaced Clark. "Lois is awfully busy, it's hard to get her schedule open."

Without another word, the Kents were on their way out and Clark was left to face Lois on his own. "Well, Smallville, looks like the parents like me even more than the like you. Of course, who could blame them?"

"I'd say we could do a poll, but I'm scared letting all that hot air out of your head would melt the ice-caps."

Lois growled under her breath, "Don't make me knock that stupid little hat off your head, Kent."

Clark met her gaze, "I guess we'll just have to see who comes home with the scoop tonight at the _Project: Metallo_ Gala and who ends up in Mr. White's dog house, or are you too chicken to make a little wager?"

"You _so_ don't want to go there, Smallville."

"I went there, Lane."

She felt a fire build up inside herself like she never had before. "Fine. I win, I take your stupid _hat_."

Clark narrowed his eyes, "And if I win, you have to stop calling me _Smallville_."

"Deal," she snarled. "Not that it's going to matter, that hat is going to be mine, _Smallville_. What's with that hat anyways?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Lane, but my father gave me this hat right before I left Smallville."

She gave him an amused look, "Let me guess, did he say something corny like '_always hold onto Smallville_'?"

Clark narrowed his eyes, "I'm so going to kick your ass tonight, Lane..."

Doing a bit of a victory dance in her chair, Lois grinned like a fiend at her reluctant partner. After a moment, Clark gave in and flashed her a small smile. That was enough for Lois to chalk another win in her _Duel with Smallville_ card.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? The stage is set for something crazy to happen, what will it be?! Will Lois have to stop calling Clark Smallville? Only time will tell! Well, that and the next chapter! Let me know what you guys thought! Oh, and I'm running a little behind on Secret Origin this week, but I'll hopefully have it up later tonight or tomorrow!


	12. Secret Origin: Masks

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing:** None.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season.

**Summary:** A series of 'Kill me or Kiss Me?' moments.

**Chapter:** #12, Secret Origin: Masks

**Author's Note: **And as promised, the Secret Origin chapter! Sorry it's so late!

* * *

He wasn't a flowers guy.

The florist knew him on a first name basis, even after his trip away. And it wasn't because of the front page. He'd been buying two roses every year since he was a boy. It was his first time since he got back home. It had made him smile.

"It's been a long time."

Her accent was hard to understand, but he was an expert of accents now. "Some scars never heal."

In the rest of the city, the streets have been redone. The alleys too. But it was the same here as it had been more than ten years ago. No one cared to fix this place up. No politician would waste their breath campaigning for it, no citizen would waste a dime trying to save it. It brought him back all too fast as he felt the cobblestone clack beneath his shoes.

The sound brought back the memory of himself, whipping his imaginary sword back and worth, the echo of his sound effects bounced around the alley. He could see himself jumping back and forth, dancing little circles around his parents.

_His parents._

The little boy had died, and the man was born. He remembered the officer wrapping his jacket around his shoulders, seeing the pain in his eyes. That was the last time he'd ever let someone see into his soul like that.

'_Good man. Left for Chicago shortly after. Took down some crooked cops. Man of justice,_' he recalled. '_Back now, saw him in the papers just behind mine. Pregnant wife in tow. Bad place to raise a child..._'

But he had been raised here. And for better or worse, it changed him.

He had been many places over the recent years. Never one place for very long. Only there to learn what he needed to learn and then he was gone again. He wasn't there to sightsee. He was there to prepare.

Prepare for the thing that this city had made him all too aware of. Prepare for the thing that creeped around every nook and cranny of his city like the boogeyman. But there was a new boogeyman in town.

One that would not stand for it. One that would take back the night. Strike fear into the hearts of criminals. They sucked the life of his city with their intimidation. Fear reeked where their footprints had been left. They ran this city with pain. But this new boogeyman did not feel pain, but he knew pain. Sometimes he shared it. With someone like them.

The roses fell at his feet. He knew the spot like the back of his hand. Where he had died and been reborn.

Bruce Wayne had been a mask for his pain. Now, Bruce Wayne was a mask for _the Batman_.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I won't keep you long, and your review replies are on the next chapter! Make sure to let me know what you thought though! A little different than the approach with the Green Arrow chapter, so I'm eager to hear what you thought! Make sure to leave me some reviews! They let me know what you like!


	13. Project: Metallo

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas- El** _- I've always loved the moments with Lois and Martha, Smallville and otherwise. It's a dynamic I'm glad to bring into the fold here and I'm looking forward to having Lois with Jonathan as well. It's very much inspired by the scene in Secret Origin between Lois and Clark at the diner, but I'm sure you knew that, haha. I wish DC would take a look, haha. It'd be a dream come true to get a chance to write there, and you're way too kind, haha.

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - One of my favorite interactions are between Lois and each of the respective Kents, haha. They're going to be realizing a few things in the coming chapters, so keep an eye out, haha.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I won't say that he won't feel the weight of the world sometimes, it wouldn't be Clark if he didn't think about all the lives he can't save, but I will say that Lois brings out a side of Clark that makes him feel like everything is ok. In that way, he is able to relax and have a bit of fun, haha. Even if she lost, she'd never stop, haha.

Clark is going to be having his own moments of realization about Lois, just you wait, haha. Well, find out here! haha.

_**Tomarisun**_ - One thing I really agreed about with the New 52 was an opportunity to improve the suit. As I think a lot of people have noticed, I didn't change the classic look that much besides losing the trunks and adding the collar, but we give a lot more flexibility and usefulness at the same time with the nanites. I felt like it made a lot of sense.

Lois is definitely starting to get an appreciation of Clark, and as you'll see soon, it goes both ways.

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - I'm glad that you're liking it!

_**cathy03**_ - It is a bit hard to worry too much about it, isn't it? haha. I'm glad you're liking it!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #13, Project: Metallo

**Author's Note:** So, this one ended up being pretty long, haha. Hope you guys don't mind!

* * *

"So what's your _deal_ with Luthor?"

Clark wanted to groan. "Do we really have to get into that right now?"

She peeked her head out of her bathroom door, "..._Yes_."

He rolled his eyes as she ducked back inside. He'd been standing in Lois Lane's living room for half an hour now because she wanted to carpool together, though he knew it was because she didn't want him talking to anyone without her with their bet on, and she still wasn't ready to go. And on top of everything, she wants to talk about _Lex Luthor_.

"I don't know, it's a long story," Clark sighed.

"I'm gunna be a while, Smallville, and when you saw Luthor, you puckered up tighter than my father used to when I had to explain why sister Lucy was so _bitchy_ once a month. Now spill the big secret."

He shook his head and quipped, "I'm glad to see you're as _tender_ with your family as you are with your co-workers."

"Gimme gimme."

Clark groaned this time and sat on the edge of her couch. "It's... _complicated_. He came to Smallville, we became friends. He drove his car off a bridge, and I kind of _saved_ his life. Has an effect on two people."

She snickered from the bathroom, "A lot of people wish you let him _die_."

"Lois..."

Peeking out again, "I didn't say _me_..." She ducked back inside. His super-hearing heard, "'course I didn't say _not_ me either."

"Have you ever felt like, you were opposite sides of the same _soul_ with someone? Like, in some ways, you saw things the exact same way. But in other ways, you couldn't possibly be more _different_?" he asked in almost a daze. Like he forgot who he was speaking to, and just found himself caught up in a memory of a life lived long ago.

He could literally hear her blink a few times, "That was deep... Was this a _romantic_ kind of-"

"Lois!"

"What?! You're the one going all _Nicholas Sparks_ out there."

Clark sighed and shook his head. "Lex came to Smallville because he was _looking_ for someone. A kind of, urban myth that the town believed in. They called him the _Superboy_. A red and blue blur that rescued people, saved them from danger. Lex was trying to build a super-army, some contract with the government. He thought I could help him find that person."

"Did you?"

He chuckled, "Don't tell me you buy into that stuff too, Lois. It's like something out of a _comic book_."

Lois shrugged, "Never know. When my Dad was deployed overseas, they went by boat, and to this day he swears he saw a _merman_ or something from _Atlantis_. Said he wore orange scales and everything."

"Well, if mermen existed, Lex probably had him under lock-and-key. He had a facility, the one I saw was called _33.1_. The 33 was the project number, the 1 was the division number. He had _hundreds_ of people with abilities locked in there. Kept them against their will, it's what made me turn my back on Lex. He was going to harvest them for their powers."

She burst out of the bathroom wearing a towel, one earring, and one fake eyelash on. Oddly on separate sides. "How have I never heard about _this_?! Lex Luthor had an interment camp for gifted people? That's front page stuff, Smallville!"

Clark shrugged, "When I brought the police to confront him, the facility was cleared out. When I got back to the Torch, it was burnt to the ground. All of my evidence was just, gone. I couldn't prove it, but I know that it was Lex."

"Wow, Clark... That's some serious stuff," mused Lois. "Never found any more evidence?"

He shook his head, "We hadn't spoken in years until yesterday."

"Whatever happened to the _Superboy_?"

Clark shrugged, "If he _ever_ existed, he was probably already inside that facility."

A few minutes later, Lois was ready and they headed to the _Project: Metallo_ Gala and joined the fray. The conference room was jam packed with reporters, and Lex Luthor was soaking it all up. After a few early questions, Lex made his way to the center of the stage and took the stand, an arrogant grin spread ear-to-ear.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'm so glad that you could be here tonight as we make _history_," boasted Lex. "For far too long, our men and women have been fighting on the front lines, putting their _lives_ on the line. At LexCorp, we don't just want to see every soldier return home _safely_, we want to make sure they _never_ have to leave."

The curtain dropped, revealing what could only be described as a cyborg.

"_Project: Metallo_ is a full active, completely responsive piece of high-tech intelligence that will effectively end the days of sending our loved ones into battle to fight for our god given rights as Americans. Our Metallo soldier units can be controlled both remotely from the safety of a secure location, or by their own artificial intelligence when duty calls."

Lois leaned over to Clark, "I guess Lex got bored with _Call of Duty_ and wanted to up the stakes..."

"With a _sophisticated_ learning chip, Metallo will be able to detect the enemy, and deal with said enemy in whatever the appropriate situation would be. Now, without further ado, lets meet the man of the hour himself, _Metallo_!"

Lex waved to the side of the stage, and a man in a white coat typed away on a laptop.

Red eyes ignited on the Metallo unit, movement began through it's extremities as it booted up. After a moment, it began to scan the crowd. Turning it's head left to right, the crowd cheered and clapped.

"_Unknown hostile forces present. Switching to combat mode,_" sounded a drone-like voice.

The cheering and clapped halted as Metallo swatted Lex off the stage and began to walk towards the crowd. It hopped off the stage, swinging wildly at the crowd. Clark immediately grabbed Lois' hand, "We have to get you out of here!"

Metallo swung and hit Clark, sending him across the room.

Lois ran over to try and help him, but Metallo followed. When it swung at her, she managed to duck and instead Metallo took out one of the pillars, causing the roof to begin to crumble in. Lois reached Clark, whom seemed to be ok.

"You ok, Smallville?!"

He nodded, "Yeah, lets get out of here."

As he stood up, they once again found Metallo nipping at their heels. Lois grabbed Clark's hand and pulled him as hard as she could, but Clark noticed they were running away from the exits. "Lois! _Stop_! We're going to the wrong way!"

"Well considering _that thing_ is the other way, it looks like the _right damn way_ to me, Smallville!"

Clark stopped and Lois lost her grip on him as he turned around to survey the scene. A guard reached out and grabbed Lois by the arm, trying to pull her his way. "Lady! Let's go! We've got a _helicopter_!"

She jerked out of his grip and turned back to Clark, "Come on! Smallville! _This_ way!

He didn't turn around, he was scanning the room with his x-ray vision for injuries.

"We have a helicopter! _Lady_! Come with us!"

She looked back behind her. Metallo stood between them and the stairs or elevator, and near the top of the building, they didn't have anywhere to go but up. Hesitating for a second and reaching for Clark, Lois couldn't quite reach him.

"Look, lady! We have a helicopter waiting on the helipad! Come with us! _Now!_" screamed one of the guards.

She turned to Clark, "Smallville..."

"Lois! _Go!_" shouted Clark.

"I'm _not_ leaving-"

The decision was made for them as pieces of the roof fell between them. The guard grabbed Lois by the arm and dragged her away, and Clark scanned the room with his x-ray vision. People were all evacuating, no one was watching.

"I never liked _robots_," growled Clark.

He ran towards Metallo it tried to deliver a swing but Clark reached up and stopped it. With a swing of his own, he left a dent in it's chest. Dazed for a moment, Metallo appeared to recalculate and swung again at Clark. Ducking, he delivered another blow, this time knocking the chest plate off and revealing it's inner-workings.

As he scanned the electrical components for a quick second, Metallo swung again and knocked Clark backwards.

Clark felt the wood floors splinter beneath his feet as he slid back, Metallo started to stomp his way and Clark began to build up for his next blow. Right as he was about to leap forward, a shriek sounded from above with his super-hearing.

_"Mayday! Mayday! We've lost control! We're going down! Mayday! Mayday!"_

He paled and tensed up, "Lois..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? haha. I wonder what can happen next? haha. Will Clark finally down the Red and Blue after thirteen chapters?! I can't believe no one has complained that we haven't even seen Superman yet! haha. Only time will tell, and I'm eager to hear what you guys thought! Make sure to shoot me some reviews!


	14. a Friend

**Review Comments:**

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! Sometimes I feel like my KMorKM Bruce is a little too happy, so I wanted to delve into a deeper and darker version of the character, though he might not always be so dark.

_**White-Falcon-06**_ - I had to keep you guys coming back for more! haha.

_**gathers-no-moss**_ - All things considered, I'm glad that I was able to establish a Lois/Clark bond before we dive into the role of Superman in their lives. The arrival of Superman will definitely impact them in a big way, including in their bond.

_**Jas- El**_ - Couldn't agree more. It's his roots in Smallville and values instilled by the Kents that make Clark a hero, not just the powers he inherited from his kryptonian heritage. And Bruce really is the Batman, though like Clark, I think we'll see three sides of the character: Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises, the Batman, and then just Bruce.

_**Dougtoo**_ - I think it was more of my intention to cement a pre-Superman bond between Lois and Clark, honestly, I hadn't realized I was so far into the story until I was trying to figure out which "chapter" I was on.

_**Snikrap32**_ - I'm trying to do a chapter every sunday, though I might end up a day late or so sometimes, so that might be a good benchmark to go by. I know the chapters have been a bit short, but I think they'll start to get longer just judging by the stuff I have in my DocManager. The length tends to go by where I think a good ending is, and sometimes it ends up shorter than I'd like, though sometimes it has come up a lot longer than I had planned since I'd like to keep them all of the chapters about the same size roughly, but I do think they'll get a bit longer and stay that way.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Let's just say that what comes next is going to shake things up a lot, haha. I think we'll see my Clark be a bit less broody, though there will be things he takes to heart, but we'll see, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #14, a Friend

**Author's Note:** So, will we get the big reveal? Read on to find out!

* * *

**_PREVIOUSLY . . . ._**

Clark felt the wood floors splinter beneath his feet as he slid back, Metallo started to stomp his way and Clark began to build up for his next blow. Right as he was about to leap forward, a shriek sounded from above with his super-hearing.

_"Mayday! Mayday! We've lost control! We're going down! Mayday! Mayday!"_

He paled and tensed up, "Lois..."

_**AND NOW . . . .**_

His vision shot up, using his powers to an extent they had never been used before. He could see clear through the building to the roof and see a fallen over pillar stuck in the footing of the helicopter. It was bringing it down.

When he glanced back, Metallo was preparing to deliver a blow, but Clark had other things to attend to.

"I _don't_..." he growled as he delivered a blow that caved in the right side of the chest cavity, "...have _time_..." his next blow smashed clear through it's chest, "...for _this_!" He reared back and punched it's head clean off.

Metallo's skull shot across the room and embedded into the wall.

Clark glanced back to the helicopter and saw that Lois was now dangling from the footing of the helicopter. In a flash, he was ripping his shirt open to reveal a quickly growing blue chest plate.

He raced towards the nearest window, his heat vision burning like an inferno.

Within a second, his glasses exploded off his face and his vision reflected off the glass to burn away his civilian clothes. Clark crashed through the window, now in his red-and-blue uniform and he saw Lois was falling.

"No..."

He shot upwards through the air like a bullet, slowing only when he was within reach of her. "I've got you."

Lois felt her eyes bug out of her head, "_What?!_ _You've_ got _me_? Who the hell's got _you?!_"

Clark smiled.

The moment was short lived though as the helicopter was now crashing down towards them. Lois wanted to look away, but if she was going to die, '_I should at least get to look at something oh so pretty._'

Determination set into his eyes, and he didn't move an inch. Instead he lifted one arm over his head and caught the foot of the helicopter. She wanted to swoon as she saw his bicep bulge as he stopped it like it was nothing.

"Oh..." she whispered.

Clark pushed himself upwards through the air, carrying them to the roof. He gently let her regain her footing while he placed the helicopter back on the landing pad. He nodded with a satisfied smile. "There."

Lois tilted her head, "What _are_ you?"

"I'm just someone who wants to _help_, Ms. Lane," he smiled.

And yet again, as if the fates were against them, their moment was short lived. Reporters, some of which had been trying to get onto the helicopter and quickly found themselves glad they hadn't been on it, were swarming.

The camera flashes startled him, and he started to back away.

"_Wait!_" Lois screamed. And to her surprise, he turned around. "_Who_ are you?"

She didn't know what to think of the look on his face. She wasn't sure if he was confused by her question, or if he wasn't sure if he should tell her. After a moment, he gave her a comforting smile. "A _friend_."

Hours later, when the media had gotten their pound of flesh and some for their near deaths, Lex Luthor was angry enough to bring on a few deaths. He stood in the center of the room, his scientist nearby.

"You _assured_ me that it was ready, Mr. Franklin," Lex almost whispered. It was a terrifying whisper.

His scientist played the part of terrified well. "I uh... I swear, Mr. Luthor... I swear it passed _all_ the tests..."

Lex kicked aside one the now scrap parts of his Project Metallo. "Judging by the look of things, Otis here could have _passed_ your tests, and he really isn't as _smart_ as he looks."

Otis looked down, and his double-chin revealed itself more prominently.

"I don't know what happened... It wasn't supposed to do _that_."

Lex eyed the skull stuck in the wall. "_Clearly_."

Franklin looked like he wanted to wet himself, "Maybe if you give me more _time_-"

In one swift motion, Lex grabbed Franklin by the jacket and threw him into the wall. Franklin tried to move, but Lex grabbed his face and pushed it into the wall next to the skull. "_More_ time?! Does this look like something that needs _more_ time?!"

"I don't know what you want-"

He got in close and growled, "What I _want_ is to throw you off the roof of this building, Franklin..."

This time, Franklin might have wet himself.

"But I can't do that, can I?" Lex snarled. "No, now I'm _stuck_ with you... I can't just get rid of you, I have to show them all I wasn't wrong to put my faith in you... We're going to _fix_ this, Franklin. Clearly your AI isn't _good_ enough, so we're going to have to make this a battle suit instead, aren't we? And if you _don't_ fix it, I _will_ throw you off the building next time..."

Lex pushed Franklin to the ground and turned to Otis, "Call General Sam Lane. Tell him I need a _volunteer_."

"Ok, Mr. Luthor," he nodded. It was like nails on the chalkboard to Lex how he pronounced it Lu-Thor. There was a chirp on the radio on Otis' hip, he pulled the radio up to his ear. "They wanna see you in the security room, Mr. Luthor."

A few moments later, Lex was watching the monitor with rapt attention.

"Has anyone else seen this?"

The tech-aid turned in his chair, "Of course not, sir. You were the first person I called."

Lex nodded, "Good."

He turned around in his chair and started to type away. "It _really_ is amazing, Mr. Luthor. A bonafide _super-powered_ person in our midst. This is going to be front page news. Even _more_ than the Metallo incident. Can you believe it?"

"I have for _years_."

The gunshot wasn't loud. He always kept his silencer with him. The tech-aid slid out of his chair and hit the floor with a thud and Lex pulled out his phone to text Otis to send a clean-up crew to the security room. He leaned forward and highlighted all of the footage from the main hall, deleting it in a few swift flicks of the fingers.

Lex kneeled down next to his dead tech-aid, a sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry about all of this..." he whispered as he reached out to turn his employee badge over. "...Scott. But _no one_ can know Clark Kent's secret."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I'm sure I'll have a lot to hear about in the reviews over this one, haha. First off we have Clark finally donning the suit and revealing himself to the world, though maybe not as much as you might have thought going in, haha. And then the Lex bit... I'm definitely curious to hear your thoughts about that! Awfully controversial, haha. Make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	15. Talk of the Town

**Review Comments:**

_**MelsAFan**_ - I'm glad that you liked it!

_**Snikrap32**_ - Nope, they talked about suspicions that he might no, but this confirms it! I always wanted to come up with a way to change wardrobes besides the phone booth, which I love, but it'd be nice to have more than one. I came up with that idea a long time ago, I just never had the opportunity to really use it, haha.

_**LexLives**_ - We'll see a lot more of Lex and his motives and what he thinks about all of this very soon, but you bring up a lot of the scary implications of Lex knowing. As well as, are the Kents safe? Lex's role in this story will be much more than just a regular old villain, and what I wanted to show in that scene, was that there's no telling what he might do.

_**Guest #1 (try to remember to sign in folks! I don't want to mix you up!)**_ - I definitely think that Clark is going to have some real concerns if and when he finds out.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I wanted to show that Lex's motives and plans are completely unknown, and it looks like I managed to pull it off! haha. I'm glad that you liked it! I was worried it was too different or too cheesy or something! haha. You didn't miss anything, that name hasn't dropped just yet! Which you'll hear talk about in this one!

_**Guest #2 (try to remember to sign in folks! I don't want to mix you up!)**_ - Only time will tell! haha.

_**Cathy03** _- I'm glad that you liked it! And only time will tell! haha.

_**Tomarisun**_ - I debated for a long time whether or not he'd do the helicopter catch, but I just couldn't pass it up! It's my favorite version of the debut! Well, then tune in for this one and find out!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #15, Talk of the Town

**Author's Note:** So, this one ended up being pretty long, haha. Hope you guys don't mind!

* * *

Clark stared at the ceiling as a wet nose drilled into his side. He hadn't slept.

"Not now, Shelby..."

The dog huffed and sneezed into Clark's side. Not that it even phased him. He was still in shock about last night. About how he caught a helicopter with his bare hands, in front of Lois Lane no less. Shock was replaced with fear in an instant.

'_What if she knew? What if she was typing up the front page story right now? What if the government was going to come after me for being an alien? What if the government was going to come after my parents?_'

He shot out of bed in a blur, there was only one place he could go now.

"Dad!"

Jonathan peeked his head out from behind his work bench, "Clark? Is that you?"

Clark raced over to him and began ranting. "I messed everything up, Dad. I don't know what happened. There was this freak out during the LexCorp conference and Lex's robot went crazy and started trying to kill people, and I didn't know what to do so I tried to get everyone out of the room so that I could try and stop it. "

A bizarre look of confusion set in across Jonathan's features.

"I knocked it around, but then I could hear Lois screaming from the roof, so I smashed the robot and then I saw a Lois falling out of the sky so I flew up and saved her. And then the helicopter fell and I caught it. And she wanted to know who I was and I told her I was a friend and now I have to go into the Planet in an hour and what if everyone knows it was me?"

Clark looked at Jonathan, whom could only raise his eyebrows. "I... don't really know, Son..."

"I wish I could just, fly around the Earth really, _really_ fast and turn back time or something," Clark groaned.

Jonathan twisted his face, "That's just stupid, Son."

Clark sighed, "I know. But what if I ruined everything? What if you're going to get in trouble? Or mom? I mean, you found an alien in a field and didn't tell anybody about it. I'm pretty sure they lock people up for that..."

"Son," Jonathan chuckled softly. "Don't worry about your mother and I. Whatever happens, happens."

"Dad, I can't-"

He cut him off, "You don't even know that anybody knows about you, Clark. All you can do is go to work and see what the world knows. And if they know, they know. Your mother and I have been ready for that."

"But what if-"

"Clark," he sighed. "This is what you're meant to be. Suit or no suit, glasses or no glasses. You're supposed to touch the lives of so many people. Not just as a man, but as a symbol. This is your destiny, Son."

The thought stayed with Clark the entire flight back to Metropolis.

He had always had such long talks with his father about the things he wanted to do. He wanted to help people. Whether that meant car-jackings in Metropolis, helping run clean water to villages in Africa, or stopping avalanches in the Alps.

In all of those imagined futures, the world knew his face. The world didn't trust people with masks, no matter their reason for having them. They wanted to be able to look a man in the eye, because that's how you saw into someone's soul. That's how you knew the value of his word, and that's how you could accept an alien from Krypton as a friend.

'_Maybe this had to happen_,' he pondered as clouds ripped apart before him. '_Maybe they need to know the truth._'

Of course, as he stepped through the spinning doors of the Daily Planet, that didn't need to be right this minute. He still had rent to pay this month, and he had a job to do. He just hoped he wasn't the front page story.

'_Well, at least not Clark Kent_,' he swallowed deeply.

He made his way down the center aisle of the newsroom, when a booming voice called out. "Kent!"

Clark braced and turned, "Sir?"

"Great Cesar's Ghost! Where the hell of you been?" Perry shouted. Clark tilted his head, so he continued. "The biggest story since... Well, _ever_, breaks and you decide to come into work _late_?! I hope you've got a good explanation!"

"Uh..."

An arm wrapped around his shoulders. Kind of. Heels helped. "He was running an errand for me, Chief."

Perry narrowed his eyes, "What kind of errand?"

"Uh..."

"I needed to have a source quoted, Smallville ran down to LexCorp and got it for me, right, Smallville?"

Clark's mouth moved. Words didn't come out for a second. "Uh, yes. Quotes. Sources. Got 'em."

"See, Chief?" Lois beamed. "He's a good doggy," she reached up and ruffled his hair. "Now if you'll excuse us, we've got a story to break, and we need to share notes if we're going to track this guy down."

Perry eyed them for a moment, "I'm expecting a Pulitzer, Lane."

Lois nodded, "This'll be the one they get over themselves and admit my greatness for, Chief."

They stood there for a moment until Perry turned and started to shout at Steve Lombard and Ron Troupe for '_bickering about nonsense at a time like this._' Lois turned to Clark, "Seriously, what the hell, Smallville?"

"What?"

"You ditch me at the press conference to do god knows what," she ranted. "Don't even come check to make sure I made it out ok, and then you don't even answer your phone when I call about a million times?"

Clark swallowed deeply, "I dropped it?"

She shook her head, "Some hero you are, I thought that was the point of growing up in HickTown? Values?" Clark tried his best not to laugh. "You're lucky that someone incredible swooshed down to save the day, or you'd have lost me."

"Someone swooshed down and saved you?" he asked, trying to seem nonchalant about it.

Lois looked at him like he was crazy, and that made him a little nervous. "What the hell have you been doing all day? How do you not know about the flying mystery man that caught me, and then a freakin' helicopter?"

"Like I said, I dropped my phone," he offered. She shook her head. "What? It had my Planet app on it."

"Well, some guy in a red and blue suit showed up, and saved my life. It was kind of a big deal."

He rocked back and forth on his heels nervously, "Did you get a good look at him?"

"Oh yeah," she grinned. "I got my look at him all right."

"And you didn't recognize him?"

Lois gave him a funny look and laughed, "Smallville, pretty sure it'd be hard to miss a guy that can fly and catch helicopters with one arm. But I tell you what, I see him again? I'm not going to let the Red-Blue Blur out of my sight."

She turned and walked away, causing Clark to pull his glasses down just a bit to inspect them for a second.

'_I need to find out where Dad got these glasses..._' he chuckled to himself.

Then after a moment, a realization set in, "Wait, what did you call him?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Obviously, this is a breath of air after the intensity of the last couple chapters, but I will tell you that doesn't mean things will be calm for long! Big changes are on the horizon, and Clark is about to find out that with super-heros come super-villains, but that's all the tease you get today!

Shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	16. the Red-Blue Blur

**Review Comments:**

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - I try and post every Sunday, if that helps? haha. Not a silly question at all. No one remembers the past continuity, not Clark or Barry or anybody. The only person that I can think of off the top of my head that would remember would be Pandora, but I really have no plans to bring her into the story. It really was just a way for me to do a story with no shackles of continuity, which I know probably means it doesn't belong in the Smallville stuff, but I'm cheating a bit, haha.

Lex is going to be a tricky story that is going to get unveiled very slowly, but there is some stuff about it in this chapter, so look out for that! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story!

_**tua33915**_ - I love _Superman: the Movie_, but that was really bad, haha.

_**Jas- El**_ - There's a kind of misbelief in a lot of people that Jonathan is supposed to die to make Clark move forward or something, maybe because it happened in _Superman: the Movie_, but I agree 100%. I love having Jonathan in Clark's life as Superman. He was alive in the comics for the vast majority of his time as Superman. He was alive on the animated series and the Lois & Clark show. And they were all better for it. I have no plans for him to die in my story. Like pre-Clois Clois, having Jonathan alive was a big perk in doing this story. I don't plan on giving that away.

The Government will be getting involved in the near future, as Superman's universe is about to explode in a big way as his presence becomes clearer. Lois won't be the only one wanting to have a talk with him.

_**LexLives**_ - The nice thing about Lex, is it really could go anywhere. I love that he can be an arch nemesis, but he can also be one of Superman's greatest allies when they have common interests. I definitely plan on taking advantage of that, so we'll see how Lex and Lex knowing Clark's secret impacts the future of Superman.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I think I might have accidentally forgot to delete that comment when I copy and pasted the template from the chapter before, because I don't think that chapter was very long, haha. I definitely plan to take advantage of having Jonathan alive so that Clark can seek his council. I feel like I really miss being able to do that over on _KMorKM_.

He's going to enjoy it at first, because Lois is complimenting him without knowing it's Clark, haha. But it might not be all sunshine and roses when he realizes what her infatuation with Superman means, haha.

_**Superfoe**_ - Lex's role is going to very different than it's been in a lot of stuff, so I'm definitely hoping that brings an exciting edge to his side of the story. He's a wild card in a deck already stacked against Superman.

_**Guest**_ - I definitely have some plans that would be very outside of the norm for these characters, even if I do like to pay tribute to certain aspects that I love and want to keep. This was always a kind of, "how I would have wrote New 52 Superman given the chance." And Now that there is a groundwork that I feel pays tribute to the canon, I feel like I can start doing things that I find exciting because they couldn't have happen in the old canon. So stay tuned and hopefully you'll dig it.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Pairing: **None.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #16, the Red-Blue Blur

**Author's Note:** And here we go, and I can't wait for you to read it!

* * *

"Really?" Clark chuckled. "What kind of name is _the Red-Blue Blur_."

Lois shrugged, "That's what Grant is calling him upstairs. None of the cameras on the roof could get a shot of the guy he moved so fast, so I figure it's better than nothing I guess, but I'll tell you what, Smallville," she leaned in real close like she was about to tell him a secret. "I've been cooking up something a little more epic."

He eyed her carefully, "Like what?"

"In time, in time, my young _padawan_," she smirked and patted him on the head.

Clark shook his head, "Did you really just make a _Star Wars_ reference?"

She gave him a serious look, "Don't tell me you're a _Trekkie_."

He briefly considered say that he was, just to annoy her, but in the end his true roots showed. "What's not to like about a small town kid going off into the world, only to beat the bad guys and save the day?"

"Good boy," she smirked.

The penthouse suite was an _escape_ for Lex Luthor.

High above the city, no one else soared this high over Metropolis. Until _now_, that is. He had always known. Deep down. There was something different about Clark Kent. He knew it the moment he met him. At first, he couldn't imagine someone so powerful would ever pretend to be a mere human. With that power, who would waste time hiding it?

But then time after time, he got into trouble with Clark Kent. And time after time, that SuperBoy saved them. It boggled his mind to think of how he was always there when they needed him. It was there that the suspicion arose. And the more he thought about the SuperBoy being so selfless and so pure, the more it had to be Clark Kent.

"Why did you protect him, Lex?"

He pushed his forehead against the window pane, sighing deeply. Not this. Not now. He closed his eyes like it would make it all go away, but the clinking of glasses told him that wasn't going to happen. "Is this what we do now... _Dad_?"

Lionel looked up at him with that ever present smirk, "Whatever do you mean, Son?"

"You shouldn't be here," Lex groaned. "You _can't_ be here."

He tilted his head slightly, "I can't visit my son, Lex?"

Lex shook his head, "No, you can't. Because you're _dead_, remember?"

Lionel stepped back and looking himself over, patting down the suit that no doubt cost more than most people's cars. Lex snorted with derision as his father mocked him. "I seem to be just fine."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really _here_ right now," Lex sighed. "I was so convinced you're here to _haunt_ me, but the scotch is always a little _lighter_. You never appear where I can actually prove you aren't here. Sometimes I think, maybe this is all some elaborate scheme you've concocted. Maybe _Clark_ saved you somehow. Maybe you're still _alive_."

"Haunt you, Son?" Lionel smiled. "Why would I haunt you? Because you _murdered_ me?"

An icy stare set into Lex's eyes. "I didn't murder you, Dad. I just chose _not_ to save you."

Lionel had no problem matching his son's stare. "No, I suppose not. You only held me at _gunpoint_, threatened me, and then pushed me out a _window_. It wasn't your fault that an old man couldn't keep his grip. I suppose not, Lex."

"I didn't mean for you to fall."

"No. Why would you want to kill your own father? Certainly not for my billion dollar company. And not to become the Luthor you were always meant to become, by my own fault I will admit, and slay me to take your place atop my empire. Though it might have been because I refused to reveal young Clark's secret," Lionel hummed. "That might have done it."

Lex's jaw clenched, "And then you ask why I protected him."

Lionel grinned, "Is that why you did it, Lex? Because of your guilt over killing me? Are you trying to honor me?"

"I protected Clark because it was the right thing to do."

"But isn't he a freak? Just like the ones you so desperately want to protect yourself from?" he cooed. "Isn't Clark just the crown jewel of the super-human threat that is upon us, Lex?"

His teeth gritted. "He is different. He just doesn't understand. I will make him see. The threats they pose. They're time bombs waiting to go off. Someone had to take a stand. I had to take a stand. He has too much faith in them."

"I think Clark would say that you don't have enough."

"He will see."

He tilted his head again. "And if he doesn't?"

Lex stared at his father, and Lionel would see the darkness creep around the corners in Lex's eyes. "Then he'll force my hand, and I will do what I have to do to protect my people. Cain and Abel were brothers too."

Back at the Daily Planet, Clark was following Lois through the bullpen as she tried to muster up whatever she could to give her a lead on the Red-Blue Blur. Clark wasn't exactly helping her with this.

"Smallville, what do you mean, whats the big deal?"

"I just don't understand why you're so obsessed is all," he chuckled.

She whipped around on him. "This guy is a genuine hero, Smallville!" Clark rolled his eyes, causing Lois to spaz a little bit. "Then what's a hero to you? He saved my life, and who knows how many lives when he stopped Luthor's freakish ass robot. Before you know it, he's going to be stopping crime and saving cats from burning buildings!"

Clark furrowed his brow, "I think you mean plucking cats out of tress, Lois."

"No," she wagged her finger. "Burning buildings. That's how good this guy is."

Jimmy Olsen ran between them, "Guys! You have to see this!" He grabbed both of their arms and jerked them towards the monitors at the end of the nearest aisle and pointed upards. "Can you believe this?!"

A attractive red-head was on the screen reporting from a zoo.

"_This is Iris West with the Picture News in Central City,_" she reported. "_And we've had ourselves a crazy day as something out of a Charlton Heston movie here as a talking gorilla tried to free the primates of the Twin Cities Zoo._"

Lois nudged Clark, "What is this? Planet of the Apes?"

"_Local law enforcement tried to restrain the lead gorilla, but were unsuccessful until a mysterious red blur blazed onto the scene and intervened. Who or what this incredible hero was is still unknown, but we can't help but wonder if it's related the mysterious man who saved a group of people atop LexCorp Tower last night,_" she concluded.

Replacing Iris West on the screen was apparently the only shot the Picture News was able to get of the Red Blur, a streak of red with just a hint of yellow through the middle. Lois turned to Clark with wide eyes.

"Smallville, do you know what this means?"

He swallowed deeply, '_That there are more people out there like me? That maybe I'm not as alone as I thought I was? I've never seen anyone move that fast... Not even me..._' He looked up to see she was waiting for answer, "Umm, no?"

"I'm going to Central City to find the Red-Blue Blur!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what doid you think? I told you changes were a-coming, haha. A lot of people wanted to know what the hell was going on with Lex, so maybe this shed some light on it, as well as what the fallout of Superman's arrival means for the lovely Lois Lane. You probably have a hundred more questions now though, haha.

And the thing with Lex, because I can anticipate this coming up, is that he isn't a villain of the week in this story. I don't want to have him appear for a few chapters with some big scheme and then disappear forever, he is a part of this story as a main character, and if he is going to become a villain, I want it to be a full realized journey. When we see other villains, which are right around the corner, it might be more villain of the week stuff, but Lex is a main character. I don't want to just jump into a kryptonite gun story with him. Just wanted to clear that up real quick since I'm sure someone will ask about it, haha.

Anyways, make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! I especially wanna hear feelings about Lionel's big appearance! Is he dead? Is he alive? What are your theories?! Is he doing the Tess of Season 11 thing?! Or has Lionel managed to survive and keep it under wraps?! Let me know what you're thinking!


	17. Real Heroes

**Review Comments:**

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - Yeah, I don't really have any plans to go in that direction, and definitely no one we've seen or I have planned to see would know about that continuity. Much like the actual Flashpoint universe. And I'm having fun creating a hero a little at a time, which was one of my favorite things about Superman: Secret Origin. He didn't just appear. He made some relationships before the red and blues came out of the closet.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - It's all coming to a head, I promise, haha. And Clark is going to have fun with the "Love Triangle for Two" dynamic more than he did on Smallville, though I can't promise it will always be easy on him to be two people. Or Lois for that matter. The thing with Lionel is I had a bunch of ideas, with his "existence" being different in a lot of them, and I really don't know how it will all play out. I'm going to have some fun with him.

You'll definitely find out who is in Central City eventually, haha. With Clark coming out into the open, a lot of different people are going to notice. And that's a good and bad thing for ole Clarkie, haha.

_**Jas- El**_ - It's always a joy to write Lois and Clark's banter, which I'm looking forward to with coming events. And things with Lex can be so different every time they meet that it's intoxicating to think about all the places I can take it. Lex isn't a black-and-white character, he has the ability to be anything at any given time.

I don't know if Lionel will be like Tess in Season 11, but I won't say he isn't. I honestly haven't decided yet, haha. Clark coming out into the open is going to attract a lot of attention, so faces could be popping up left and right, haha.

_**winthjo**_ - I'm glad that you like it so far! Lots more planned!

_**JamesTKent**_ - I will admit, I didn't plan for it to happen that fast, but I wanted to bring in that dynamic and I thought about it and it really did come together very fast on Smallville. I like the idea that Lois kind of just forces her way into Clark's life and since he doesn't have the Chloe/Jimmy/etc relationships, at least not yet, the Kents were on deck.

_**Katlynne**_ - Way too good to me. You're the best.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #17, Real Heroes

**Author's Note: **Alrighty, time to shake things up!

* * *

"I don't understand," Clark stammered. "Why do you have to go to Central City? How do you know it's _him_?"

Lois gave him a crazy look. "The guy moved so fast, all the camera could pick up were a _red blur_. It's got to be him!"

He shook his head, "I thought he was Red-_Blue_ Blur? Shouldn't they have caught some _blue_ in the blur? You can't be sure that it's the same guy, Lois. And if it's not, this guy could be _dangerous_..."

"Worried about life in the big city without me, Smallville?" she smirked.

Before Clark could get another word out, Perry White was stomping towards them with that manic newshound grin. "Did you hear that, Lane? Our guy is in Central City, and I want-"

"-me on the next flight out," Lois nodded. "I'm on it."

"Mr. White, what am I supposed to do? Am I going to Central City too?"

Perry shook his head, "I need you in Metropolis, Kent. I'm sorry, but I can't afford to lose both of my Metropolis beat writers at the same time. I'll send you to Gotham when it comes time for the _Wayne_ quarterlies, k?"

Clark sighed, "Whatever you need, Mr. White."

"Until Lane gets back, I'll have Olsen shadow you. His arm is all healed up now," Perry explained. "I need you on the fallout of the _Project: Metallo_ and how LexCorp plans to recover from it."

"Of course," Clark nodded.

As the editor-in-chief walked away, Lois reached over and tapped his jaw, "Chin-up, Smallville."

The car ride to the airport wasn't exactly what Clark had in mind when he stepped foot in the Daily Planet this morning. Even though he had only been working with Lois for a few days, there was a lot more to it than met the eye. They might be the same assignments, but she had a knack for finding the important side of the story.

He was going to miss that, and what made it worse, was she reason was leaving was because she thought that _he_ was in Central City. And for the life of him, he couldn't figure out a way to convince her that whoever was in Central City wasn't the Red-Blue Blur without letting her onto the fact that Clark Kent _is_ the Red-Blue Blur.

"At least it'll be nice to get to _drive_," Clark muttered under his breath.

Lois shot him a dirty look, "I'm sorry if I don't trust my life in the hands of someone who has only ever driven a _tractor_."

He rolled his eyes as they pulled in front of the airport. They got out and he grabbed her bags. Walking around to the front of the car to meet her, she could tell he wasn't exactly excited about this new arrangement.

"Once I find the Red-Blue Blur, I'll be back in town to hold your hand, don't worry, Smallville," she smirked.

"I'll try not to hold my breath waiting for your _bossy_, _stuck-up_, and _rude_ presence, Lane," Clark tried not to smile. "I just don't know what I'll do without you _forcing_ me into sewer tunnels and _breaking_ into press conferences."

She gave him a snarky look, "That reminds me, you should hear from our little _friend_."

Clark frowned, "The one that put a _gun_ in my face? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Don't worry, you'll be in perfectly capable hands with Olsen," she said as she wagged her head. "She'll probably be too busy _toying_ with him. And if you're worried about the Metropolis beat, just remember that Perry could care less about your LexCorp _fumble_ with this whole Red-Blue Blur thing coming up. Free pass on that one."

He dodged her gaze with a chuckle, "Uhuh."

"And what's with this _hat_? Seriously, Smallville," she muttered as she popped it off his head. She leaned back to eyeball him a moment before leaning in to ruffle his hair up a bit. Leaning back, she smiled. "_See_? Much more handsome."

Clark quirked an eyebrow, "So, you have been checking me out?"

Lois rolled her eyes, "Down, boy. Handsome in a... _I'd-be-a-lost-little-farm-__boy-in-the-big-city-without-Lois-Lane_ kind of way."

"I don't think-"

"_Say it_."

He narrowed his eyes, "Why would I-"

"I totally saved your bacon with Perry today. _Now say it_." Clark rolled his eyes before looking away and muttering something under his breath. Lois perked up, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that? Could you say it a little louder?"

Clark sighed, "I'd be a lost little farm boy in the big city without Lois Lane, _happy_?"

Lois grinned down at him, "_Oh yeah_. Starting to enjoy having me as your _partner_ yet, Smallville?"

"Are you saying that you're enjoying having me as _your_ partner, Lane?"

She flashed him a bit of a minx-y smirk, "It has it's moments."

Clark rolled his eyes and laughed as Lois started to fiddle with her bags in front of the entry door. He felt a little moment of sadness that she was leaving. He liked Jimmy, but Lois definitely had a way about her.

"Lois?"

"Yeah?"

He did that thing, she noticed. That thing where he wanted to say something, but he couldn't make himself say it, so he had to find another way to say it. She noticed he did that a lot. "Smallville?"

"I uh, I just wanted to say, don't worry too much about finding a _hero_ out there in Central City. Lois Lane doesn't need a _gimmick_ or some guy in a sheet to make a headline. You're a pretty great reporter all on your own," he said.

He caught her off guard. That was something else she noticed lately.

"Aw, you sound like you're gunna _miss_ me," she smirked. She didn't need x-ray vision or super-hearing to notice that her heart beating just a little bit faster. It was time for the old Lane humor defense mechanism.

"I just, you asked me what _I_ thought a hero was," Clark smiled. "And it's not some guy in a _cape_."

She tilted her head, "Then what's a hero to you, Smallville?"

His hand twitched as he tried to keep from cupping her cheek. "It's _you_, Lois. You aren't _bulletproof_, or _super-strong_, but you charge into dangerous situations day in and day out to do what you can to make your world a _better place_."

Lois felt her heart flutter, "Oh."

"If that's not a hero, I don't know what is."

She hesitated for a second, and if she was honest with herself, she would have admitted that Clark Kent actually managed to make her weak in the knees for a moment. Not that he gave her time to ponder that.

"Have a safe flight, Lois," he smiled. "It _is_ statistically the safest way to travel."

He gave her a small little wave and spun on his heel, walking away with a sigh. She was thrown, but she still wouldn't have figured that he could hear her murmured goodbye, but he heard it clear as day.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I know a lot of you might want my head for Lois leaving, but at least they got to have a nice little moment there, right? haha. And I promise that when you see what comes of all of this, you won't be so mad at me anymore, haha. It's all part of the plan, don't worry.

Anyways, shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	18. Secret Origin: the Cave

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #18, Secret Origin: the Cave

**Author's Note:** It's that time again! Another back-up story of sorts!

* * *

'_This cave sucks,_' he mused. '_The dripping water makes my circuits all itchy._'

He knew that didn't really make sense. Not a lot about his life these days did. He missed football. That was simple. _Football_. This was something else. This was capes and masks and a whole lot of secrets he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I don't think I have to mention if you tell anyone about this place, I'll _unplug_ you, right?" a rough voice called.

All he could really do is give him one of those wide-eyed nods, when inside he was thinking '_Really?_' He wasn't sure what to make of this guy. If he hadn't gone through everything he had gone through lately, there's no way he'd be here. He made fun of a kid with a horse on his sweater a couple weeks ago, let alone a _bat_.

All the silence made him nervous, so he eyed the big monitor. "Nice computer you've got there."

The Batman, as he had called himself, turned his head. "Sarcasm?"

"What? No," he fumbled in panic. "It's _big_."

"_Heh._"

Not a man of many words. Got it. And that was fine with him. Far too many people had talked to him recently. Especially all the guys at S.T.A.R. Labs. They always talked technology lingo at him. '_I barely passed english, I don't speak the Matrix._'

"Why am I here anyways?"

Fingers danced over the keyboard, "I need you to _hack_ the LexCorp press conference."

He swallowed nervously, "_LexCorp_? As in Lex _Luthor_?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Well, does that really sound like a good idea? I mean, isn't that kind of thing _illegal_?"

Batman turned in his chair, he looked serious. "You know what my super-power is? It's _planning_. And when I see a man, that I know for a fact only cares about dominance, building a military grade robot? I pay attention."

"Well, why can't you do it? You've got all the gizmos here to do it?"

"No time. Do it."

"Are you sure I should-"

"_Victor_."

He reached forward nervously. He was still getting the hang of all of this. He just kind of thought about it, and it happened. His fingertip opened up like something out of Inspector Gadget, and he was interfacing into the BatComputer. '_Come on, the car we drove here was called the BatMobile. He probably names everything BatSomething._'

The conference popped up on the screen in a matter of seconds. He might not have known it, but it would have taken Batman an hour to break through Luthor's security system. Victor had the world at his finger tips.

"_Unknown hostile forces present. Switching to combat mode,_" echoed the Robot on the screen.

Events played out before them like a captivating movie. Neither of them was prepared for the guy with the glasses to stop the Robot and then start knocking it around. They were even less ready for the guy to fly a few moments later.

"Did you see that?" Victor chuckled nervously. He looked over and saw it fell on deaf ears.

You could tell he was thinking about something really hard. "Can you _erase_ it?"

"Uh, yeah?" He got a sharp look. "Yes, I can do it."

"All of it?" Batman asked.

Victor smiled. "Everything goes _somewhere_, and I go _everywhere_, Bats."

Batman almost smiled. "Don't call me _Bats_."

A while later, they were discussing the implications of what had just transpired. That guy, he flew. People don't fly. Who was he? Was he a bad guy? Batman seemed to hope he was a good guy. But not wearing a mask? Stupid.

"He clearly has tech. He should know _better_," Batman groaned.

Victor shrugged, "People don't trust people in masks. _No offense_."

He gave him another sharp look. "Anyone with _facial recognition_ can figure out who he is."

But Victor had a thought. Ever since his accident, he felt like he was... _connected_. To everything. He felt connected to S.T.A.R. Labs right now. He felt connected to his house. Like part of him was _everywhere_.

"I think..." he started. "I think if I can _train_ myself, I think I can help with that."

"You can't be everywhere at once, Kid."

Victor smiled, "What if I _can_?"

"I thought you didn't want to get into the business of _super-heroes_?" The Batman almost smiled again.

He didn't. He wasn't to be regular old Victor Stone, who went to High School and played football. He wanted to go on dates with pretty girls, he wanted to be a normal kid. But as he felt the cold metal in his palm, he realized he wasn't normal anymore. He was a freak like this Batman. Like the guy with the glasses. He couldn't play football without killing his friends.

And that sucked.

But on the plus side, all these super-powered people popping up? He might finally be able to put a game of football again.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Looks like Clark has gotten some attention, and I'm excited to see what you think about Cyborg and Batman here. I got this wild idea about the mask thing, and I'm excited to see what you think!

Shoot me some reviews and let me know what you think!


	19. New Partner

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas- El**_ - You said it, haha. That's definitely the relationship I intend to show with Lois and Clark. Jor-El said that "they can be a great people, Kal-El... They wish to be." And Clark sees that not only does Lois want to be, she does it. She is the shining example to Clark of what people can be, she renews his faith every day.

I thought people might be surprised by that, but when I show how they met, I think it will make more sense. I was a big fan of Cyborg being part of the Justice League with the New 52, because I honestly think he could be the most dangerous hero of all, similar to say Aya on the Green Lantern: the Animated Series. And we'll see why. We got a hint why in the chapter with how he cracked LexCorp so easily, but it's nothing compared to what happens when they first met. He looked pretty sweet in Justice League: Doom, so I'd be fine with imagining him like that.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - They're both going to realize something thanks to this distance, haha. And when she comes back, it will change everything, muahaha. That was my evil laugh, haha. And we'll find out more about what has endeared Clark to Lois so much so quickly, even if he wouldn't admit that it is endearment, haha.

Cyborg is going to be really important, not just to Clark, but to the whole super-hero community. It's all coming along in good time, so I don't want to spoil anything, but he isn't just Teen Titans fodder anymore. And I would love to write a football chapter with Cyborg, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Aquaman, the whole gang, and then Wonder Woman just comes along and school them all, hahaha. I think that would be a blast. I don't plan on having Bruce know Lois because he's just comeback from his trip away, so I don't know if they would have met yet. But I won't say they haven't met. Bruce has been back longer than Clark has been in Metropolis, I know that, so they could have met.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #19, New Partner

**Author's Note:** Alrighty, here we go again!

* * *

Clark sat at his desk. Lost in his own little world.

With Lois gone, he'd be pairing up with Jimmy Olsen, who was apparently out with Steve Lombard getting pictures of the Metropolis Sharks for the sports section. Perry wanted him to cover the LexCorp fallout, but talking to Lex Luthor was the last thing he wanted to do. And worst of all, he couldn't stop thinking about Central City.

Part of him just want to blur down there and take his chances. If Lois didn't recognize him at LexCorp, maybe she wouldn't recognize him a second time. Then again, Maybe it was just the _adrenaline_ that kept her from recognizing him. But if he could explain that the Red Blue Blur was Metropolis' hero, maybe she'd come back.

The other part of him didn't even know _why_ he wanted her to come back. She was _mean_. And it wasn't like he was falling for her or something. She was just Lois. Right? '_I mean, what in the world was I talking about?_' he dazed off.

A hand waved in his face, "Earth to CK? You there?"

"Oh, hi, Jim." He scrunched his face up, causing Clark to frown. "Wha- Oh, right, _Jimmy_."

His hand flew up, "No, no, no, I like that. _Jim_. Makes me sound older. _Wiser_. Goes on more dates...-_ier._"

Clark gave him a little half smile, "Jim it is then."

Jimmy grinned and jump up onto Clark's desk, using it as a seat. "So riddle me this, CK," he stopped and leaned in, "It's cool if I call you _CK_ right? Sweet. So what's your deal, man? I thought you were from some _hicktown_?"

"Uh... I'm from Smallville, in Kansas, if that's what you mean?"

"Nah, like, when you got here and the Chief paired you up with Miss Lane, who I love, by the way," Jimmy rambled. "We were like, '_dude's toast, right?_' But you're still here. And that cost me ten _big_ ones."

Confusion set in across Clark's features, "...what?"

Jimmy held up his camera and twisted the lens, "Gotta _focus_, CK. See, me and a few of the other guys, Lombard, Troupe, even Miss Grant put in a bet, we got a pool going on for when Miss Lane like, _runs_ you off. But you're still here. We never figured somebody from hicktown could _hackey-sack_ it with Lois Lane, you know?"

"Oh..." Clark frowned. "Uh, well, Lois isn't really _that_ bad..."

"You serious, CK?" Jimmy's eyebrow shot up into his messy red colored mop. "Accounting won't even _insure_ me anyone I've gotten hurt so many times working with Miss Lane. Who are you? _The Red-Blue Blur_?"

Clark gulped, "I'm not uh-"

"I'm just kidding, CK," he laughed. "I mean honestly, you just don't fit the _profile_, you know?"

He smiled and nodded, "I'm definitely not _super-hero material_, Jim. That's for sure." He pushed his glasses back up his nose and cleared his throat before standing up. "Should we head down to LexCorp and try to get that interview?"

Hopping off the desk, "Let's go give baldie some hell." Clark frowned, Jimmy flinched. "Sorry, I'm _used_ to Miss Lane."

Clark hesitated for a minute before smiling, "He does have a _Mr. Clean_ thing going on, doesn't he?"

"CK with the _burn_!" Jimmy high-fived him. "I love it!"

Being back at LexCorp Plaza definitely wasn't helping Clark with his day. After all, the last time he was in this place, he revealed a bit more than he had intended. Under Lex Luthor's roof no less. But Perry wanted the scoop on the _Project: Metallo_ fallout, and even though he was sure he'd get stone walled, he had to try and get something.

"'ey, 'ey, 'ey!" a voice echoed through the plaza.

They turned to see a chubby man waddling across the room. Clark couldn't quite decide if the man had gained some weight and hadn't bought new ones, or if he was just oblivious to the fact the buttons on his shirt could be classified as _deadly weapons_ if they popped off. Jimmy nudged Clark, "Check out that toupee, is baldness a requirement at LexCorp?"

"I got orders for _no press_ from Mr. Luthor himself," they both furrowed their brows at how he said it like Lou-Thor. "We've had enough of you'se guys writing 'dem _slanderous_ stories about _Project: Metallo_ as it is!"

Clark took the grin on the man's face as being proud he used the word slanderous properly. "We aren't here to write a bad story about _Project: Metallo_, Mister...?"

"_Otis_." he said proudly, pulling on the front of his jacket. "Otis Berg."

"Right, my name is Clark Kent and this is my partner Jim Olsen" Clark nodded. "We're just here to see what LexCorp's plan is to _recover_ from _Project: Metallo_. Will you continue with the project or will you be going in a _new_ direction? That's all we wanted to know. If we could maybe talk to Mr. Luthor, I'm sure he would understand."

He furrowed his brow up, "_Olsen_... Hey, ain't you the one that's always working with that damn _Lois Lane_? She pulled _off_ my- I mean, she pulled my hair one time! And _Kent_... I know that name... How do I know that name?"

"I was here as a reporter during the _Project: Metallo_ incident, perhaps?"

"No, you'se on Mr. Luthor's _list_," Otis wagged a finger at him. "I don't know why, but we'se are supposed to inform him right away if you show up. Only people he _don't_ want around is on that list!"

Clark grabbed Jimmy's arm, "We better get out of here, Jim. _Confrontation_ is Lois' game."

"Whatever you say, CK," Jimmy agreed as Otis called over security.

The Janitor from across the room watched as the red headed photographer and that tall guy with the glasses ran out of the plaza. He was just glad security didn't have to rough them up. Blood was always the hardest to clean off these floors. Had to get down on your knees and scrub at it. And _Rudy Jones_ didn't like to get down on his knees for anything.

He just liked to keep to his own, stay out of the way, don't bring any attention to himself.

That's how you ended up having to do _more_ work. People notice you, then they remember they need something done. He just liked to lurk in the corners, running his mop over the same spot for hours on end. Not like messy folk stroll into LexCorp anyways. All suits and the like. They don't _spill_ things or leave _garbage_ laying about.

They were sophisticated folk. Rudy liked that about this job. He liked riding the elevator too. Like he was _now_. Especially the one in the back, that went to _all_ the floors, unlike the one out front. Nobody ever rode that one.

This one went to every floor, besides the _penthouse_ floor. That was Mr. Luthor's personal floor. Nobody went up there but Mr. Luthor and sometimes that oaf Otis, if he was called up that is. Rudy got off on the thirty-third floor. There was something _funny_ about this floor. Sometimes it was locked up, elevator wouldn't even open. He'd asked some of others that worked in janitorial, and they said _weird_ stuff happened on the thirty-third floor.

But Rudy didn't care for _the weird_ or _the strange_. He just wanted to get through the day and collect his sizable paycheck for working at a place like LexCorp and not _mentioning_ the weird or the strange. Like this _purple sludge_ on the floor. Rudy just kneeled down and wiped it up. He didn't even notice that some got on his _hand_. Nor would he notice an hour later when he was on his lunch break, when it ended up getting on the peanut-butter and jelly his mom made him.

That's just who he _was_. Rudy Jones didn't notice the weird of the strange.

When Clark and Jimmy got back to the Daily Planet, they were both a little defeated. They were supposed to come up with the big scoop on LexCorp, and now they had to avoid Perry White like the plague.

"I don't know about you, CK," Jimmy offered. "But I'm out of here. I've had enough _broken limbs_ this month."

He was gone before Clark would even offer an alternative.

Clark sat down at his desk, his chair did this kind of creaking noise as he twisted back and forth. It made him smirk how that annoyed Lois. '_Sit still, Smallville, or so help me, I will hurt you,_' she'd growl.

'_Lois..._' he pondered. '_What would she do in this situation... Ok, besides putting bamboo under Lex's fingers..._'

And like Lois was the Red-Blue Blur herself and zoomed in to save the day, he noticed a note on his desk. He pulled it off the desk and even though there wasn't a name, he knew it was going to save his butt. Because that's what Lois did.

Grabbing his notepad and bag, he was gone before Perry White could come kill him.

He was early, about half an hour early, but he still hoped he didn't miss his window. Clark looked at the note. '_Lane said we should talk. Centennial Park by the fountain, 2pm. Don't be late._'

He sighed as he scanned the area, "I don't even know who I'm supposed to be meeting..."

"What's the _sigh_ for?" He turned around and saw a whole lot red hair and a smirk that would've unnerved him if he hadn't already grown used to Lois Lane's smirk. She tilted her head to the left to survey him, _that_ was unnerving.

"I uh-"

"You know, most men are delighted to hear they have a date with _Tess Luthor_."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? When I started this chapter, it was meant to be entirely Lois Lane-less, but I couldn't make it without just one line, haha. Even if it was the voice in Clark's head. Which in a lot of ways, suits Lois, haha. She's in Clark's head, whether he likes it or not. And come on, we know he kind of likes it.

Anyways, make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! Jimmy and Clark partners! Otis isn't very good at speaking english! Who the hell is Rudy Jones?! And now Tess and Clark are meeting?!


	20. Hungry: Part 1

**Review Comments:**

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - Well, I managed to make it through in this chapter, but it was hard! haha. There was just too much to fit into this one and the next one, so it worked itself out, but she'll be appearing soon!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Almost like... 33.1, dontcha think? haha. All I can say about Mr. Jones is that it wasn't kryptonite, I can't let everyone use kryptonite for everything in the world like Smallville did, haha. But that doesn't mean whatever the purple sludge was won't turn him into something worthy of the front page! haha.

I think he knew that he'd be meeting Tess, he just didn't realize she was the one that left the note. Sometimes things go over poor Smallville's head, haha. Miss Lane can't stay away long, Metropolis needs her. So things will occur that will make her realize that, and you'll have to stay tuned to find out what that is, haha. As for Bruce, his return is imminent, I'll just say that for now, haha. And yes, Lois will meet Bruce (if she hasn't already, I haven't decided) in the near future, and Clark won't exactly be happy about how that goes, haha. And Lois might enjoy that, haha.

_**Guest**_ - You'll have to read and find out!

_**Katlynne**_ - The only thing that is awesome sauce around here is you!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #20, Hungry: Part 1

**Author's Note:** This one is going to be a two-parter since I couldn't come up with another title for either chapters!

* * *

"What am I looking at?"

Franklin twitched nervously next to his employer. The last time Lex Luthor addressed him, he had all but threatened to kill him if Franklin disappointed him again. "I'm not sure, sir. There was an _incident_ in the custodial break room."

Lex watched carefully as the man thrashed around the room. "Where did he come from?"

"He works here, actually," Franklin muttered as he pulled on his collar. "A _janitor_. We don't know how he came into contact with whatever it was that he came into contact with. We called the medical unit, but-"

"Probably one of 'dem insurance fraud cases," Otis snorted and folded his arms.

Franklin turned towards Otis. "He _ate_ the medical unit."

"_Ate?_" Lex asked, and it scared Franklin the way his eyes were almost amused by that news.

Stepping forward, Franklin pulled up the video recording on the screen. The man thrashed around the break room and fell to the ground. His body convulsed as purple liquid expelled from his mouth and he screamed. Another man rushed to his side and screamed for someone to get help. Suddenly, the convulsing man gripped the man's face.

"Hungry," he groaned. "I'm... So... _Hungry_..."

Lex's eyes flashed with glee as he saw the horrors unleashed across the screen. Somehow, the life seemed to just disappear from the man's face and all that was left was a withered corpse. It was only a matter of moments, but this man turned creature began to glow purple as he devoured the rest of the room with ease.

Security managed to lead it into a containment cell. There were plenty of those on the 33rd floor.

"What are we going to do, sir?" Franklin asked in a hushed whisper. "Should we call the _authorities_?"

He turned to his scientist, and with a very unsettling grin, Lex gripped his shoulder almost comforting. "Mr. Franklin... Doesn't Metropolis have a _super-hero_ for these kinds of situations? Let him _out_."

Clark fidgeted with his tie and his glasses. The cafe was vacant, but the company of Tess Luthor was making him feel all too claustrophobic. She reminded him of Lex in so many ways. She had that same powerful stare. He felt like she could see all the way through him. That same cocky smirk, and Clark didn't know if it was a bluff or if she actually knew something.

"I want to know what's so _special_ about you, Clark Kent."

He frowned slightly, "There's nothing special about me."

Tess tilted her head and he could tell she wasn't convinced. "Don't think of me as a _fool_, Kent. My brother is obsessed with you. He has kept _tabs_ on you, I've seen the _files_. And my father spoke very highly of you."

"Your father talked about me?"

She nodded, "He mentioned you once or twice. After his, _moral epiphany_. Never really understood why."

Clark held her stare for a moment. She wasn't going to take his usual farm boy charm at face value. "Your brother likes to buy people. And I'm _not_ for sale. That bothers him. It confuses him. And now I'm like a _puzzle_ to him, he doesn't know how to process that," he explained. "When I met your father, he was a bad person. I was an outside voice and I like to think that I showed him there's _more_ to life than power and money."

She smiled at him. It was unnerving. "Doesn't sound quite like my father, but _spot-on_ for my brother."

Clark shrugged slightly, "Your father was a good man, _in the end_."

"My father was a lot of things, I'm not sure any of them were good, Clark Kent," she said in a firm voice.

"I'm sorry that you didn't know the Lionel that I knew."

Tess tilted her head, "And how exactly did you develop such a _close_ bond with dear old Lionel? He didn't exactly approve of Lex's time in Smallville, so I find it hard to imagine he came to visit him."

He swallowed down some water, "Lionel didn't agree with Lex about a lot, but they both liked _power_. Lex was after it, so your father wasn't far behind. I met him once or twice, we kept in touch."

"You seem to have an interesting way of making connection with people, Mr. Kent. Even Lane seems to like you."

"I'm honest," Clark shrugged. "People like that."

She eyed him for a moment. "Are you?"

This entire conversation was unsettling for him. She said Lex had files on him. What kind of files? What did they say? What did Lionel tell her? What did she know? Was she just toying with him? "You remind me of your brother."

"Well, I hope that our story has a different ending, Clark," she smiled.

"I thought I was meeting with you to talk about LexCorp," sighed. "I don't really see what my life story has to do with any of this, Ms. Luthor. I need to know what your brother is planning to do now."

Tess grinned at him, "Call me, Tess," he nodded, so she cut him some slack. "Lex will do what he always does. He'll strip it down to what worked and what didn't, and he'll rebuild. He won't cast it aside. Dear brother is too obsessive for that. He's got contacts in the military, they'll advise him, and Metallo 2.0 will be up and running in no time."

"That thing would have killed everyone at the conference if-" he stopped himself. "The Red-Blue Blur hadn't stopped it. He can't really think it's a good idea to continue with the project, can he?"

"Like I said. Dear brother doesn't like to give up on things."

He knew that all too well. "What will-"

"Look at this!" screamed the bar keep. "Look at this on the tv!"

Clark turned and walked up to the bar, Tess followed quickly behind. There was something flipping cars and chasing people as a news reporter lightly jogged away from the scene. "_Whatever is terrorizing downtown Metropolis is too much for the MPD and continues to, for lack of a better word, absorb citizens of Metropolis..._"

He turned to Tess, "I'm sorry, but I have to run."

"Sounds like a job for a _mild-mannered reporter_," she smiled and nodded.

Clark rushed out of the cafe and turned down an alley at a sprint. He used his super-hearing and x-ray vision to confirm he was out of sight of anyone or anything, his shirt ripped over to reveal an all too familiar shield upon a canvas of blue.

"What the hell is this thing?!" shouted an officer.

His partner slouched behind a car, "I don't know, but bullets aren't doing _jack_!"

Roaring foot steps approached and the car was ripped into the air. "Hungry!" it screamed and threw the car aside. The two officers began to sprint away, and the Beast gave chase. It almost got them when something flew between them and grabbed the two officers, causing the Beast to screech to a halt in surprise.

Clark put the two officers down about a block away. "You two get to safety. I'll try and sort this out."

"Uh... Thanks?"

He nodded and flew back towards the Beast. The officer looked at his partner, "What the-"

Clark landed a few feet away, giving him some distance between himself and the purple creature. At first, it started to breath heavily and scrunched it's face like it was about to come running at him.

"Woah, easy big fella," Clark warned. He raised his hand in the air, trying to calm the Beast. "No one wants to hurt you."

For a moment, it stared at him. Like it could see something inside of him. Like one of those cartoons where your tongue falls out because something looks so darn tasty. It swung at him, and Clark swiftly moved out of the way. It growled again, and swing across at him, but once again Clark managed to move out of the way.

It raised it's fists over it's head and tried to slam down for a third time.

Clark caught them with his hands, "Now wai-"

He felt himself tense, and the Beast's purple skin began to glow. It felt like his entire essence was being sucked out of himself and he fell to his knees with a groan. The Beast almost purred as it's glow grew brighter.

"So... _Tasty_..."

Clark's arms fell to his side, and a foot met his face. And for the first time in a long time, Clark felt _real_ pain.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Rudy Jones is loose in Metropolis, and it looks like maybe not even Superman can stop this mysterious Beast. And what does Tess know? What was her relationship with Lionel like? Doesn't seem good, but he did talk about Clark to her, so what could that mean for Clark's secret?!

Make sure you shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	21. Hungry: Part 2

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas-El**_ - I'm glad that you are liking it! I've tried to give everyone their own voice, sometimes it's a trial and error thing, but I am happy with everything so far, even if I know some areas I plan to work out the kinks for. Tess is tricky because there's a part of me that wants her like she was on Smallville, personality and voice wise, but I do have to account for her new origin and that's going to take some figuring out. The General, Corben, and Lois will have their futures revealed soon!

_**Guest**_ - I can't let everything revolve around kryptonite, but you were right who he really is!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - All I can say is, if this is the equivalent of the Doomsday you know, then Doomsday is gunna be so much worse than you could ever imagine! haha. But Doomsday is way off in the future, so who knows, haha. Lex likes to test people and boundaries, and part of this is, "lets see what he's made of" even if it gets Clark killed. Clark is a reporter though, I think he'll figure out where the breadcrumbs go, and you might just get your whooping, hahaha.

Tess is going to be a wild card, like she was when she was best utilized on Smallville. I think about how I loved the "does he or doesn't he know?" Lionel aspect on Smallville, and Tess is definitely going to be used that way here. Let's just say that they do play the news on the TV in Central City, and this will definitely make the evening edition, haha.

_**Katlynne**_ - Crazy lady. You're too sweet to me.

_**Tomarisun**_ - Oh, believe me, been there, so no worries! Jonathan has had almost twenty years to think about what that future might hold, and at the end of the day, he feels like the past twenty years are worth whatever may come. I love getting to write Lex and Lionel together. Huge perk for me in writing this story. As much as I love writing Lex and Lionel, there really isn't any character or set of characters in any form of writing that I like more than Lois and Clark, haha.

I'm glad you liked the Cyborg stuff! I was really nervous about it! haha. I'm looking forward to really making a bond between Clark and Jimmy, because they're like brothers, and that can be so much fun to write! Clark's going to have his hands full with what has appeared, but hey, it definitely looks like a job for Superman- er, Red-Blue Blur, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #21, Hungry: Part 2

**Author's Note: **And we continue, here's the second part!

* * *

He skidded across the pavement.

It cracked and caved behind him as it crunched beneath his feet, causing him to come to a halt. After the initial pain of hitting the pavement, he could feel his strength come back. He got up with a grunt.

The Beast was already coming his way again, "So... _Hungry_... Blue man... _Tasty_..."

"I don't know _what_ you are," Clark growled as he started to meet it's pace. "Or why you're hurting innocent people, but this is my city, and I'm _not_ going to let you hurt anyone else..."

Clark swung at it, but even his punches seared him with pain as he could feel the mere contact draining him again. It was like this thing didn't even have to fight back, and he was still going to do more damage than Clark was.

"Mine!" it shrieked.

A punch to Clark's midsection brought him to his knees again, another blow sent him into the car across the street. It took him a moment to recover, and by then, the Beast was upon him again. It was coming down at him with it's jaws unhinged, but a quick duck caused it's bite to land on the door of the car behind Clark, causing it to scream in agony.

That gave Clark an idea. '_It can't absorb energy from an object with no energy._'

He rolled away from the car and into the street, with a quick snag, he grabbed the manhole cover.

"Come here, big boy," Clark taunted. "I've got a _present_ for you."

It raced towards him, clearly hungry for the life force that Clark provided. He let it get close, at least close enough. With a quick two-hand swing, he smacked it with the man-hole cover. The force sent the Beast down the street.

"Now we're getting somewhere," he grinned.

Crawling out of the rubble it had created at the end of the street, it was barely on it's feet when Clark smashed it again with his weapon of choice. Unfortunately, whatever it had absorbed from Clark was still in it's body.

A quick swat sent Clark skidding back a few feet, and it dived towards him again with razor sharp teeth showing.

The swat didn't absorb enough to paralyze Clark this time, so he rolled away towards the cars parked on the side of the road and used the opportunity to grab the axel of a little red Pontiac. With a firm tug, he lifted the car into the air, and let it smash onto the Beast. Flying up about a story off the ground, he used his heat-vision to ignite the fuel tank.

An explosion made Clark look away, maybe just out of guilt of destroying someone's little red Pontiac. But the flames quickly disappeared. He looked back, and the Beast was glowing brighter than ever.

"Must... Eat... _More_..." it growled.

"Well, that wasn't my _best_ idea ever," Clark groaned under his breath.

Clark wasn't sure what his next move should be. If he punched it, it sucked out his life force. If he blew it up, it seemed to get a kick out of it. '_Well, if it likes fire, lets see how it likes the cold_,' he considered.

With a deep inhale, he unleashed what his mother liked to call his _arctic breath_ on the Beast.

It tried to fight as the ice built around it. That didn't last long. Soon it was in a complete block of ice, and with a barrier, Clark had an idea of what to do. With a swift swoosh, he flew towards the Beast as fast as he could and delivered the strongest punch that he could muster. Apparently, that had worked as the ice shattered around it.

The beast slumped down to the ground, and the sirens began to approach. "Thanks, friend. That was my last trick."

When the police arrived, they did the same thing everyone else did. They got starstruck and asked Clark who he was, where he was from, what he was doing here. "I'm just trying to help. Make sure you don't touch it's skin."

"Yeah, sure, Blur-man, we'll get those white jacket monkeys from S.T.A.R. Labs to come get 'em," said one of them.

Clark narrowed his eyes to read the name tag, "Sounds like a plan, Officer Mooney."

Later the night on the news, the story was the Red-Blue Blur. Over a dozen news stations and reporters had made it onto the scene before Clark had left. He had spent some time trying to fix the roads before he took off.

Enough time to get video and pictures of the hero.

"The Red-Blue Blur made his first appearance since the fiasco atop LexCorp Tower earlier this week," said the news anchor. "A mysterious creature that police on the scene called _the Parasite_ because of it's apparent ability to absorb energy. We still don't know who this heroic figure is, but one thing is for sure, Metropolis has a guardian angel."

She watched the video, her jaw a bit slack. '_Could it really be him?_'

A young woman appeared on the screen, a witness of the incident. "If the Red-Blue Blur is watching, I am his biggest fan! My name is Katlynne and if he ever needs a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on or a body to ravish, I am totally available!"

The reporter quickly moved from the girl to an officer setting up red tape.

"All I can say, is that man is an American hero," said the man credited as Officer Mooney. "I don't care he don't have a badge, hell, maybe we should give him one. Man does what the rest of us can't. That ain't nothing. This thing was trampling through town and we didn't do jack against him, but the Blur-man rolled in and kicked it's butt. Man is a hero."

The camera swung around to show the Red-Blue Blur, having just used his heat vision to repave the road, waving to the crowd that had built. The camera caught his wave and nervous smile before he took off into the sky.

She brushed the blonde hair out of her eyes, "I can't believe it... _Clark_..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? haha. And yes, like many of you thought, Rudy Jones was in fact the Parasite. A personal favorite of mine, so I hope you guys liked him! And I'm sure it won't be the last we see of him! Anyways, I'm sure you've got some new questions! Who was the blonde watching the news?! You probably thought it was Lois, but last time I checked, she was sporting some brunette locks, so I know you'll have a field day with that one, haha.

Make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	22. Telling Real Stories

**Review Comments:**

_**winthjo**_ - Two very good guess! We'll have to wait and see!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Parasite is one of my favorites! You should definitely check him out in Secret Origin, where I feel like he was done best. He's an extremely dangerous foe of Superman's because he can absorb Superman's power! Very good guesses about the Blonde! I'm loving all the different answers so far, haha. And yes, Lois is in this one!

_**Jas- El**_ - Secret Origin Parasite is by far my favorite, as is Secret Origin's version of Metallo. Clark can't just punch his way through Parasite, which makes him a ton of fun and one of the most dangerous foes he has in his rogue gallery. Don't worry, I like Chloe, but she isn't going to become an all-important character for me. She has plenty to bring to the table, but I don't see her as a full-time member of the gang. She got pretty stretched thin on the show.

_**Katlynne**_ - Muahahahaha. Wait, what?! *narrows eyes*

_**cathy03**_ - You'll have to wait and see! haha. Parasite is a favorite of mine, so it was great to get to write him. I know that real life is busy, so you don't have to worry about that! haha. I'm just glad you do eventually!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #22, Telling Real Stories

**Author's Note:** And the aftermath is upon us. Enjoy!

* * *

"It was crazy."

He watched Clark, big goofy grin on his face, and it made Jonathan really happy.

"The way the people were. They were... _Excited_. They were _happy_ I was there. They cheered when I stopped it, and some kid even asked for my _autograph_. And the officers kept thanking me, it felt like I _belonged_. Like I was one of them."

"You _are_ one of them, Clark," Jonathan smiled. "You just want to help people."

Clark's grin somehow got bigger. "I don't want to brag, but it's a good thing I was there. It was almost too much for me."

Jonathan wiped his brow with his glove, "It actually _hurt_ you. Like, _really_ hurt you?"

Clark nodded, throwing the bale of hay off the second story deck and blurring down to catch it in a flash. "When I touched it, I felt like I was disappearing. Like I was being _sucked_ out of my own body."

"Do they know what it was? Where it came from?"

"When it got to S.T.A.R. Labs, they were able to _sedate_ it somehow and talk to it. It was a janitor named Rudy Jones, worked at LexCorp before whatever happened to him. He said he didn't remember how it happened," said Clark. "And they don't know how he became that thing either. At least that's what LexCorp had to say."

Jonathan gave Clark a sideways look, "Should've figured _Luthor_ was behind it."

Clark shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't talked to him since before the _disaster_ at the conference. I'm going to have to face him sooner or later. I haven't even had the guts to talk to reporters yet, let alone him."

"Well, you know how I feel about Luthor, Son," Jonathan sighed. "He showed you an awful lot of _interest_ when he was here, I don't reckon he doesn't have an inkling about who you might really be."

"I know, Dad," Clark sighed. "I know."

Jonathan hurled the bale of into the back of the truck, and Clark thought on it. Truth be told, Lex wasn't even the person that he was worried about talking to as the Red-Blue Blur at the moment.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

Jonathan looked up for a moment, and he could see Clark was serious. "Of course, Son. What's on your mind?"

Clark sighed, "I don't know exactly what the problem is. Ever since I saved Lois, she's been _gone_. She went to Central City to try and track me down. The _other_ me. Once she realizes whoever is in Central City isn't me, she'll be off to some place else and I never thought I'd say this... But I've _missed her_ since she's been gone."

"I don't think there's exactly anything complicated about what the problem is, Clark," Jonathan smiled.

He gave his father a pointed look, "It's not _that_."

"Uhuh," Jonathan snickered.

"It's not!" Clark groaned.

Jonathan waved his hands in the air, "Alright, it's not what it obviously is, ok? What you're getting at is, you don't want Lois to be running off looking for your _red-blue-blur_ self off in places unknown, right?"

Clark nodded. "I like working with Jimmy, but... it's _different_ when I'm working with Lois. When I was away trying to figure out how best to help people, it didn't matter where I was in the world, you could find a copy of the Daily Planet. And her _name_ on the front page. Don't ever tell her this... but she's part of the reason I wanted to become a reporter. Being a reporter isn't just about being around dangerous situations to help people. I can't save everyone _all_ the time."

"No one expects you to, Clark," Jonathan reassured him.

"But what I saw in Lois was that she could reach out to the _whole_ world. She helps people that she's never even met. And it doesn't matter how far away they are. That's why I like working with her. I feel like we're doing really _important_ work. It's not that Mr. White doesn't give me the same stories, it's just that Lois finds the _real_ story. She could stop where the story is, but she fights her way to the _important_ parts. The stuff thats bigger than the story we thought we were telling, because she fights for something more than headlines. She makes me believe I can help people even _without_ the cape."

Jonathan tried not to smirk, "I suppose the only way to make Lois stay in Metropolis, is to give her what she's looking for."

"You mean, let her know that _I'm_ the Red-Blue Blur?"

He shrugged, "That's up to you, but you could always give her an _interview_."

Clark tilted his head, "Don't you think that two minutes with me, she'll know that it's me?"

"It's not like there aren't _pictures_ of you in your suit, Clark. People seen you in your suit after that LexCorp debacle, and none of 'em put two-and-you together quite yet. Maybe the _glasses_ are working better than we thought?"

The thought stayed with him all the way back to Metropolis.

It stayed with him up the steps and into the Daily Planet, all the way up to the main news floor. To his co-workers, he might have looked like a zombie just straying down the center isle. He noticed Jimmy Olsen walk up to him.

"...been _fun_..." there was something about CK, and then, "...paired up... _future_..."

"Wait, what?" Clark asked. "Sorry."

"I said it's been fun working together, CK. Hopefully we can get paired up in the future," Jimmy smiled.

Clark frowned, "Why? What's going-"

"Hey there, _Smallville_," a cocky voice rang through the bullpen.

He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face, and Jimmy knew it was time to take his leave. Clark turned around and saw her perched on the edge of her desk, a maple doughnut in one hand.

"Miss me that bad, Lane? Had to scamper on back to town just to see me?"

She smirked, "Don't _flatter_ yourself, Farmboy. Mr. Blur has a big throw down in the middle of Metropolis and I'm about ready to head to _Boston_ to try and flag down some mysterious _ship saver_? Fat chance. I felt like it was time to come home."

Clark nodded, "You keep telling yourself it's about the Red-Blue Blur, but I know you missed _me_."

"Maybe," she said with a snarky smirk. "Whatcha been up to without me to keep your life interesting?"

"Oh, you know, it's just been impossible to make it through the day without the threat of _death_," Clark joked.

Lois stood up and scruffed up his hair, "Gotta talk to the Chief. Glad you lost the _hat_."

"I still have it!" he shouted after her, sliding it out of the desk drawer. He held it in his hands for a second, but decided to put it back when he saw the note pad. It felt good to have her back and he knew it was time to hop down the rabbit hole.

She was halfway to Perry White's door when she felt something rush past her.

Looking around, she didn't see anyone remotely near her. She looked up for a faulty air vent, but the answer was down at her feet. She leaned over and plucked up the little white note between her feet.

_Meet me tonight on the roof. - A Friend_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, what did you think? haha. One of my favorite scenes from Superman origin stories is when Clark does his first big save and then goes home to gush about it with his parents, so I just had to add that into the mix. And I did promise you that Lois being gone would open both of their eyes about certain things, and there's plenty more where that came from! And oh look, someone is back from Central City and she's getting notes?

Doesn't this feel like Jr High all over again? haha. Anyways, make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! And of course, I'm sure you're all eager to know what this note was about, so lets hear some theories!


	23. Volunteers

**Review Comments:**

_**gathers-no-moss**_ - I've always liked that helping people is more than a job to Clark, it's what he wants to do and he loves being able to have a positive effect on peoples' lives. They've both had a little "distance makes the heart grown fonder" with her trip, and Lois will get her share soon enough, haha. She's definitely his hero though, haha.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - What makes you so sure that it was Clark? Muahaha, that was evil, haha. Clark got to see how excited Lois was in Season 9, so it's only fair that she gets to see him excited this time around, haha. You know she ninja-sneaked to get behind him so she could surprise him, haha. She's got all kinds of tricks up her sleeve.

Ah, the Kryptonite Man! He's not Metallo, but he's pretty deadly in his own right. You probably saw the Action Comics Annual that he starred in. They actually did a great job with him, and I'll definitely keep him in my back pocket, though it's hard to know when he might appear. I like having Clark use his brain over his muscle sometimes, and he'll need it with what is coming his way. I've got about twenty chapters planned ahead, and he'll definitely need his head, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #23, Any Volunteers?

**Author's Note: **I know you're all probably dying for the next _Lois/Clark/Blur/Superman_ part, but I'm going to be awful and make you wait another chapter! haha. But I promise, it will all pay off soon enough!

* * *

There was a chess-match-like way to their meetings. Both were highly intelligent. Both knew the game. Naturally, they waited for the other to make their move, but like all great chess players, they were patient. They needed each other, even if they would never admit it out loud. Each one had an end game goal, and they'd need to play their hands just right.

"You know, I don't exactly _like_ you, Luthor," he said in that gruff voice.

One of the many reasons he might not like Lex could have been the way he didn't back down. To anyone. He just smiled, like he was now, "I never imagined that you did, General. I'm simply _better_ at your job than you are."

A snarl curled upon General Lane's face, "Why you little-"

"I build things that replace your _archaic_ ways," Lex waved him off. "I built drones that replaced the little foot soldiers that used to scamper around in the desert. I provided the government with weapons that make _one_ man more valuable than _ten_ of your little G.I. Joes. And now I've got _Project: Metallo_, which will replace all of you."

"War isn't some video game, Luthor, or didn't you get the memo when your tin can tried to wipe out thirty _civilians_?"

Lex grinned again. "We had a set-back. I won't deny that, General. That's why I called you here with your best and brightest, because we need a stop-gap. And I believe you're well aware of why you need that as much as I do."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Luthor," he grunted.

With a quick flick of his fingers, the monitors popped on and showcased a variety of images.

"In Boston, the Coast Guard tried to take the _Amnesty Bay Guardian,_ as the press are calling him, and he sank two of their ships in the process" Lex chimed, pointing to an image of a man in a orange-and-green suit was barely caught on camera. A smear of red flashed in front of police officers in another image. "Police can't even keep up with this red blur in Central City. And need I remind you that only the Red-Blue Blur was able to stop the Parasite here in Metropolis."

The General watched the man donning red and blue wrestling the purple beast.

"These vigilantes are _menaces_," he snapped. "I get twenty calls a day from that damned Leob in Gotham, wanting us to send in the National Guard to help him with some crazy in a _bat_ costume!"

Lex turned off the monitors with another flick of the fingers. "This is only the _beginning_, General. I've been researching these anomalies for years now. The worst ones haven't even shown their faces yet. We need to be able to fight back. We need to push forward with _Project: Metallo_ for both the safety of our country and our planet."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigar. He skillfully cut it, placing it in his mouth and lighting it with the kind of ease only years of practice could allow. "Tell me what you need, Luthor..."

"I've lost my faith in our A.I. for the time being," Lex grinned to himself. _Victory_. "We're breaking it down to it's core, but the hardware tech is still lightyears beyond anything you currently have at your disposal. You give me a _pilot_, I'll give you the best damn weapon the United States Military has had since the atomic bomb."

"What kind of experience are you looking for?"

He pulled up the specs on his LX-Tablet. "The controls are all run through a cerebral network. The suit is literally an extension of the man inside. We reached out to Ferris-Air, but their top test pilot went _missing_. I'd like to have someone with real jet experience, General. This isn't a Prius, this is a Ferrari with rocket launchers for a cigarette lighter."

"And since we'll be pointing him at one of these damn vigilantes, combat experience is a must," the General nodded.

"Did you have someone in mind? I saw you brought some _volunteers_ with you."

He threw a file down on the table, "He's my best damn soldier. Like the son I never had. He's seen more action than half my other men combined. If you're looking for a solider to pilot this thing, there isn't a soul more fit for it than John Corben."

Lex grinned, "Bring him in then, General. I'll need to speak to him myself."

When General Sam Lane asked him to come to Metropolis to meet Lex Luthor, Sergeant John Corben couldn't jump for it fast enough. He'd been working with the General for so long, it wasn't just his job, it was his life. And the General had taken him under his wing. Even tried to set him up with his daughter, Lois, despite her protests.

He knew one day that he'd convince her. As attractive as she was, he wanted nothing more than to make his father-figure an official father-in-law. Corben knew that Lois was working in Metropolis as a reporter for that news rag, the Daily Planet. If he could help the General do whatever he had come to do, maybe he could impress her enough to finally convince her to come back to the base with them, settle down, and he'd make an honest woman out of her yet.

"General, sir. Mr. Luthor, sir."

His hand flew to his brow in a salute that made Lex snicker. "At ease, soldier. Take a seat."

Corben sat down, back straight and hands folded. "Thank you, Mr. Luthor, sir."

"We've asked you here today, Sergeant Corben, because we feel like you're the _perfect_ candidate for a special project," Lex explained. "If you accept this assignment, you'll be the front line of defense for the United States of America."

He nodded firmly, "Sir, yes, sir."

"Now, Son," the General started to explain. "This isn't your run-of-the-mill op. What Luthor is offering is to be the cutting edge of defense against the growing _freakshow_ we've got out there."

"I understand, sir."

Lex started to go through the various aspects of the Metallo Suit. Corben was amazed. It was like something out of a science fiction movie. He had seen the videos of all these super-human freaks. He knew that the threat was growing fast, and they were offering him the chance to save the world from these monsters and abominations.

"To operate the suit, you will need a cerebral uplink port," Lex showed him. "We will carve one into the back of your skull, a quick and mostly painless procedure, so you can full _integrate_ with the suit's controls."

Corben raised his hand to the back of his neck, "You mean... I'll have a _hole_ in the back of my head, sir?"

The General snapped, "You are a Sergeant in the United States Military! Are you telling me you're scared of a little _boo-boo_ on the back of your head, Corben?! Do you care more about your _good looks_ than the _United States of America_?!"

"Of course not, sir!" he cried out. "I'm not afraid, sir! Lady Liberty comes first, sir!"

Lex watched with an almost amusement. '_And I thought I had daddy issues._' "This is understandably difficult choice, and I'm not about to put this into someone that isn't _fully_ committed to the project. Please feel free to take a while to think about it, Sergeant Corben. This will change your life _forever_, and there is no going back."

Corben nodded, "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I will, sir."

He was dismissed, much to the anger of General Lane. Corben wanted to do this. He wanted to impress the General, but he didn't want to become some kind of freakish looking cyborg either. He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, and he thought about those weird nerds from that Matrix movie. '_Do I really want to look like that? Would Lois still love me?_'

Given to that he was in Metropolis, maybe he'd just have to go find out for himself.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I know you've probably got your pitchforks and torches out, haha. But we needed plot development beyond Clois sometimes! haha. Anyways, what did you guys think of John Corben? Dude's got some daddy issues, doesn't he? Also, looks like Clark and this Central City character aren't the only ones out there, hmm?!

Anyways, make sure to let me know what you thought! Shoot me some reviews!


	24. Secret Origin: Central City

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #24, Secret Origin: Central City

**Author's Note:** It's that time again!

* * *

Lois growled as she sat in the cafe and listened to her radio she stole at the last crime scene.

'_What?!_' she berated the little voice in her head. '_It's not really stealing... I borrowed it from that one guy. The crime scene guy. I think his name was Allen or something. He won't mind. I'll drop it off once I get my scoop._'

The little voice in her head said, '_Uhuh._'

She kind of hated how that little voice sounded like Smallville. '_Oh, Smallville. I bet you're just bored out of your mind without me. I wonder if Olsen has been making you as crazy as he made me. I hope so. You need some drama._'

Silence was all her radio split out, so she decided to head back to the crime scene a few blocks down.

"Aright!" she shouted in the middle of the dark alley. "I know that you can hear me!"

Nothing.

Lois Lane wasn't no quitter. "You saved my life! And you said you were _a friend_! Well, friends talk to each other! And I really don't like being stuck in Central City! I have a life in Metropolis! There are _people_ I want to get back..." she paused for a moment, trying to figure out what that was about, "Look, I just need this interview!"

Still nothing.

"I don't know _why_ you'd be hanging out in Metropolis to save us, and then come here... Maybe you were always here and you are just _that_ damn fast! But I need you right now! And I don't want to have to jump off _another_ building!"

She could hear the screech in the darkness. "Did you say you were going to jump off a _building_?"

Lois sighed, "Finally. And no. Though I _was_ thinking about it. Partly because I hoped you'd save me, partly because I am really _that_ sick of this town. I mean, seriously? The Planet is so broke, the hotel I got set up in doesn't even have a _TV_. What's a girl supposed to do without her _Castle_? We... I mean I, need this interview, Mr. Blur."

A red figure stepped out of the darkness, "I hate to ruin your day, and I don't know who Mr. Blur is, but it's _not_ me."

He wasn't as tall as the man on the roof. Though she couldn't comment on his looks. He had a sort of mask that went all the way over his head, leaving just his mouth and parts of his eyes revealed.

"Well, thanks for the newsflash," Lois groaned. She threw her head back in exasperation.

He grimaced, "I'm sorry to disappoint?"

She shrugged, "It's fine. It's just, I don't think my editor would want _your_ story. The Blur saved lives in Metropolis. You're all Picture News territory. I came here for the Red Blue Blur, he's supposed to be _Metropolis'_ hero."

"Isn't that the guy who caught the _helicopter_?"

"The one and only."

He didn't really know what to say. This was kind of the weirdest conversation of his life. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not him."

"It's ok," Lois smiled. "Just means I'll probably be shipping up to _Boston_. There's supposed to be a guy who is saving _boats_ out there, even if _orange and green_ are hardly the red and blue description. You guys do change outfits right?"

"Uh, I've really kind of just started at this whole thing," he smiled nervously.

Lois chuckled, "I won't hold it against you. I'll just have to find my _Man of Steel_ elsewhere."

"Well, I'm sorry to have ruined your day," he laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I do think that every hero needs a great reporter. It's just that I've already got my eye on _someone_ else at the Picture News."

She smirked, "Is it that _West_ lady? Because she's a hottie."

If it was possible, the man blushed the same red as his suit. "I uh... I've gotta _go_."

He was gone in a _**FLASH**_, and Lois found herself walking back out to the street to figure out her next move. She was just starting to walk past an electronic store when she heard something that made her day.

"_The Red-Blue Blur made his first appearance since the fiasco atop LexCorp Tower earlier this week," said the news anchor. "A mysterious creature that police on the scene called the Parasite because of it's apparent ability to absorb energy. We still don't know who this heroic figure is, but one thing is for sure, Metropolis has a guardian angel._"

Lois grinned, "There's a _newsflash_ if I ever saw one. I'm going _home_."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I like my Flash awkward, Barry Allen style, so I went for awkward here, haha. And I know some of you wanted to know how Lois was thinking and feeling while she was stuck in Central City, so hopefully this gives you a bit of an insight into what was going on there and where she might have been heading next.

Anyways, let me know what you thought! Shoot me some reviews!


	25. the Interview

**Review Comments:**

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - That was definitely part of the goal. Clark isn't alone. That's going to be a big factor moving forward.

_**Katlynne**_ - You're way too sweet to me. Like seriously.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Well, you know it's not the Flash now, haha. And I'll go ahead and say, the universe isn't going back, not in anyway that I can imagine, haha. This is just the new normal in this on-going, haha. Lex definitely has a way of showing the other side of the coin and I definitely want to keep that dynamic alive because that's the cruel truth about Lex. He isn't wrong thinking the way that he does. If Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman went bad? We'd be in big trouble.

Lois and Sam definitely don't have the loving relationship they had on Smallville, haha. If you could call that relationship all that loving in the first place, haha. John is in for a rude awakening, as all great villains tend to be, haha. I think she would have been more excited if it was only about the story for Lois, but what she really wanted was to see the Blur again, so that is why I had her downplayed, haha. But that's ok, because she's about to get her pick-me-up, haha.

_**blaker316**_ - I'm glad that you're liking it thus far!

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - Not a problem, I know first hand how hectic real life can be, so no worries. I'm glad that you liked the Clark/Lois talk about Lex. It was one of those moments where I could get across that there's some very conflicted feelings about what their relationship has become. I want to make it clear they were very close, and Clark hates what has happened.

Making characters like Metallo more grey area is definitely going to be a theme. I love complicated villains that are harder to pinpoint than the usual "want money" or "out to rule the world" themes. You look at Metallo, and you get it from both sides of the coin. Less human soldier deaths is something everyone can get on board with, so that's definitely the angle I wanted to play. And I'm really glad you liked the action. It can be hard to put into words, so I'm glad it comes across well!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #25, the Interview

**Author's Note: **And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, haha.

* * *

She peeked her head out, just barely past the door to the roof. "Hello?

_Nothing._ There was nothing out there. She stepped out into the landing, peering around. Looking for any trace of red or blue that she could find. She smacked herself on the forehead, "Because _I'd_ be the reporter he'd pick? Come on, Lane..."

"Well, I wanted to go to the _best_."

Lois turned around slowly to see the man who saved her floating down onto the roof, "Oh... _Hi_..."

He smiled. "Sorry I'm late. There was a car jacking on fifth."

"I think I can let it _fly_, this time," Lois smirked as she felt her nerves of steel coming back. "No pun intended."

As he touched down gracefully, she couldn't help but take in just how tall he was. Nor how in an otherwise perfect head of hair, a couple strands just couldn't be tamed as they fell down across his forehead. "I understand there are a lot of _questions_ about me. It's been brought to my attention that you've been traveling, looking for me."

"Well, I'm not a _stalker_, if that's what you're asking," she narrowed her eyes.

He help up his hand, "No, it's not that. It's just that, Metropolis needs Lois Lane here at home. Defending her."

She quirked an eyebrow, "I'm not made of _steel_ and I can't catch _helicopters_ with my bare hands."

"But you're made out of _courage_, and you fight for what's _right_," he said in a firm tone that took her by surprise. "I'd take that over a hundred heroes with powers. You do what you can. That's a _hero_ in my book."

"Oh."

He nodded, "And people need to know that I do what I do because people like _you_ have inspired me."

Lois swallowed deeply. "Then I guess we better get started on that story then."

It wasn't a long one and it didn't take very long for her to see that even with a tragic past, he had incredible strength inside of him. And not just his biceps. He took in all the bad, and he bent it into submission to be fuel for good. They were all just trials in his eyes. They didn't hold him back. They were steps forward. He was incredible like that.

"So you're from _Cal-L_ from the planet _Cripten_, the only surviving member of your race, parents sent you away to save you, and now you've lived on Earth for almost your entire life?" Lois asked.

Clark leaned over her notepad, "It's K-a-l-E-l and K-r-y-p-t-o-n, but yes. I grew up here. This is my home, Miss Lane."

She scribbled down the correct spelling, "Moving on. Impervious to pain, you eat when you're hungry and you're over 21, big help that will be with the Chief tomorrow. You can fly, super strong and fast, laser eyes, and you've got x-ray vision, right?"

"You're not going to ask me to tell you the color of your _underwear_ are you, Miss Lane?" smirked Clark.

Lois smirked right back, "Who says I'm wearing underwear?" Clark gulped before turning away and starting to clear his throat. Lois snickered to herself for a moment. "So, what's the '_S_' stand for?"

Clark glanced down at his chest. "It's raw form, in the _original_ kryptonian scripture, it's my family crest."

Lois tilted her head with a smirk, "Your family crest is a '_S_'? Don't those usually come with a _flag_ or a _sword_?"

"In it's _raw_ form, it's my family crest," Clark chuckled. "This is a more stylized symbol. On Krypton, my father was a scientist and he used the knowledge of the universe to help people. He grew crops, he built shelters, he helped people with science rather than with fists or words. He invested in the people and they prospered for it. The stylized version of my family crest became the kryptonian symbol of _Hope_. I thought it suited what I wanted to do here."

She nodded slowly, jotting it all down in her trust notepad with her lip pinned between her teeth. "And you want to..."

"I want to _help_ people, Ms. Lane," he smiled. "And not just stopping robberies and plucking cats out of trees. I want to show people that the old ideas _still_ work. I want to give people hope, show them that _good_ can still win. And when they truly let goodness into their hearts, they can fix all the wrongs in this world from the inside out."

"And why exactly is it that you want to do that? I mean, you could be making a _zillion_ dollars catching footballs or zooming up buildings for Lex Luthor or something," Lois asked. "People are going to think you've got _ulterior_ motives."

It wouldn't be Lois if she didn't ask the hard questions.

"When I was younger, a tornado tore through my hometown, and I've always felt like I _didn't_ do enough. I was scared to let people see what I could do, so instead of helping, I hid. I was scared they wouldn't accept me. But if I would have been brave and chose helping people over myself, I could have done _so much_ to help. My father has always told me that we all do what we can, but sometimes God has plans, and there isn't anything _any_ man could do change them."

Lois grinned to herself, she knew were this was going. "But if there was?"

Clark smiled softly. "He told me that to make me feel better, but the truth is, it's like my mother always says: _Life asks us what it thinks we can handle_. I could have done more, I could have handled it, but I didn't. My kryptonian parents sent me here because they knew I'd be strong enough to protect myself, but they didn't just send me somewhere I'd be strong, they sent me to a place where I can hear people calling out for help everyday. Calling out for a _hero_."

"And you can be that hero."

He shook his head. "That's the thing, Miss Lane, I don't see it like that. We are all heroes when we do what we can. Some can do less, some can do more. I look at you and I see a _real_ hero. I see the police officers and fire fighters who risk their lives everyday, and I see _real_ heroes. I'm just trying to do what my parents taught me to do. _What I can._"

"That's a pretty good line," she smirked.

Clark tried not to blush, "I never lie, Miss Lane."

She bit her lip, trying like hell not to give him the smile she just knew would be ear-to-ear. "So, this whole thing is a kind of '_With great power, comes great responsibility_' Peter Parker type thing?"

"Minus the _tights_, I hope," he grinned.

Lois gave him the up-and-down glance, "I don't know, they're pretty form fitting..."

He blushed. '_He actually blushed,_' Lois smirked to herself.

"Hardly more form fitting than anything I've seen you wear, Miss Lane," he said with a coy little smile.

Her eyebrows shot up, and what could only be described as a minx-y smirk danced across her features. Clark could tell by the sparkle in her eye and the way her tongue danced across her K9 tooth, he had said the right thing.

"So you _have_ been checking me out?" she said in a fiery tone.

She expected him to blush this time but instead, he met her with the same fiery eyes. But not the fiery, going to meltdown a building laser eyes. These were the kind of fiery eyes that could make even Lois Lane blush.

"You know, people have been calling you the _Red-Blue Blur_, but that's kind of a mouthful on my end."

Clark tried not to chuckle, nodding, "There's probably a _better_ name out there, and Kal-El seems very... _alien_."

Lois looked him up and down for a moment, and her mouth did the Lois Lane Shuffle from side-to-side before settling on one side with a sharp look. He knew that meant she was thinking about something that she was a little proud of.

"You know, my... _partner_, he gave me this whole spiel about how real heroes are the ones that charge into dangerous situations to do what they can to make their world a better place," she recited.

"He sounds like a smart guy," Clark tried not to smirk.

She rolled her eyes, "Thank god he isn't here to hear that. Anyways, there was this guy my old _archeologist_ friend told me about way back when, there was a lot of mumbo-jumbo, but the point was the dude believed in this ideal hero who embraced the cards he got dealt and made the world better. Called him an _uber-mench_."

"I really hope that's not what you're planning on calling me, Ms. Lane," chuckled a nervous Clark.

Lois tilted her head, "I like the english translation better. A _Superman_."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, I really hope you guys could hear the Krypton Theme playing in your heads during that last bit, because that's what I could hear as I wrote it, haha. So, what did you think? haha. And that tornado bit? That's from _Superman For All Seasons_, and I really hope everyone checks it out. One of my all-time favorites.

Anyways, shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	26. Old Flames

**Review Comments:**

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - There is an extremely good chance the archaeologist mentioned is Carter Hall, haha.

_**Jas- El**_ - I was really worried that people wold think I was stealing that scene from the new Man of Steel trailer, so I'm glad you know that's the actual canon. And you definitely hit the nail on the head with how Clark sees himself and the world. I'm pretty proud of that X-Ray banter because I wanted to combine the best Superman with the best Lois, haha. The idea of not reshaping the world because you can, will be a big deal to Clark, so it was a much needed parallel.

_**blaker316**_ - I'm glad you liked it!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! Awww, you're gunna make me blush! haha. More than anything else, what makes Superman the best is that he represents the best of what we can be. He has so much power, and he could change the world by force if he wanted to, but when people see what he choses to do with that power, it hits home in a big way. It's going to be a recurring theme, so I don't wanna give too much away, but Superman really does equal hope.

Superman For All Seasons is a little older, so it might take some rooting through the back issue boxes, but if you're not anti-digital comics (I personally prefer print, but I don't blame those who like the digital ease), you can find them on Comixology easily enough. There are four issues, one done in a different POV for each issue.

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - Lex isn't about to wager his future legend with Clark over a petty thing like his identity. If it comes down to it, Lex wants to kill him fair and square. I'm glad you like the Metallo fight! It was fun to write! And I'm glad you liked how Clark changed his outfit, I wanted to do something new and a little more modern than the phone booth. Clois is slowly on the rise, but they'll have plenty of bumps along the way. They need to build their bond first.

Adding other DC Heroes is definitely going to be a ton of fun, and the Flash is definitely one of my favorites. I loved writing the real heroes talk between Lois and Clark, because she needs to know how much he respects her. I don't want her falling for just Superman, Clark Kent deserves her love too. Victor will get an upswing soon, haha.

_**Guest**_ - Your wish is my command! New chapter time!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #26, Old Flames

**Author's Note:** And, how does Lois and the world react to Superman's big story? Find out here! Sorry it's a day late, this weekend was just insanely busy, I even had to move Laundry Day from Sunday to Monday... the horror... haha. Enjoy!

* * *

"Smallville, you don't get it."

Clark rolled his eyes, playing annoyed when he was enjoying every second. "I can see that, Lois."

She was all too proud of her front page story. _**Meet The City's New Savior, Superman!**_ She hadn't stopped ranting about it since it went to print this morning. "You have to understand, this guy is the _real deal_. I mean, I know I was a sceptic-"

"You _flew_ to Central City to try and _find_ him," Clark laughed.

"-but I'm serious now. I'm true believer in this red and blue, super-dude," she wagged her finger. "And he's not like that guy in Central City, moving too fast to get caught. Or being all _creepy_ in the shadows like that weirdo in Gotham. He's ready to step out into the light and lead by example. For _free_. Tell Lex Luthor to suck on that."

He snickered and gave her puppy eyes, "Can we? Can we please? I'll drive."

Lois rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to let the poster child for Rogaine ruin this for me, Smallville. Luthor's been calling himself Metropolis' Savior for years, trying to buy the city's love with his money and crap named after _himself_, mind you, so it's a good thing my Man of Steel is _bulletproof_ because Baldie is gunna be gunning for him."

"_Your_ Man of Steel?" Clark smirked. "Should I look for the followup story: _I Spent The Night With Superman_?"

"Not that it's any of _your_ business, but it's pretty clear that we've struck up a _connection_. He clearly sees me as the fighter of Truth, Justice, and American Way that I've always been," she explained proudly with her head high.

He laughed loudly, "I've seen you _lie_, _break_ the law, and you have more _european_ shoes than a Kardashian."

She fixed a sassy look on him, "_Green_ is not your color, Clark Kent. Jealous much?"

"Don't worry, Lois," Clark laughed as he stood up. "You can have Superman _all_ to yourself. I have to run downstairs to meet with Jimmy and get some shots for a piece I'm doing for the big _Queen Industries_ conference next month."

She waved her hand at him and went back to her desk, "Run along, Smallville, don't want to have to get my Big Blue Boy Scout to kick your butt for _sassing_ me. He prefers to avoid violence anyways."

Clark rolled his eyes and walked away, trying not to dance his way to the elevator.

It wasn't that long when she felt a hand start to caress her shoulder, and she tried not enjoy the idea of it being Clark. "Don't you need to go get pictures from Jimmy, Smallville? Do you really need me to kick-"

"Who is _Smallville_?"

Lois jumped out of her chair like a bolt, "Who the hell- _John_? John _Corben_?"

He smiled and look at the waste basket next to her desk, "I see you got my _flowers_, why are they in the trash?"

"I didn't have any _room_ on my desk," she shrugged. John took a moment to notice with all the trash and papers, there really wasn't any room on her desk, not that she actually meant that. "Besides, I told you to stop _months_ ago." She paused for a second before clenching her jaw. "So if you're here... I take it my father is in town then? What's he here for? Probably making another _shady_ deal with Lex Luthor behind my back, giving him another military contract to _exploit_?"

John shook his head with a smile, "Not even a _hug_ hello, Lois?" He took her glare as a firm _no_. "Your father is in town to help keep our country safe. You really should talk to him, I know that deep down he misses you."

"My father and I are no different than you and I, John" she snapped cooly. "Practically strangers."

"We did have _a_ date, Lois, and your father was right. We would be good together. I knew it that night. Settling down and having a few kids? Would be good for you, ya know?" John asked despite her disgusted expression. "Definitely help clear your head from the insanity of this _place_ and temper your ridiculous crusade for spreading "_the truth_", as you call it."

Lois wondered what the prison sentence for strangling a sergeant in the US military would be.

John took her expression for some kind of realization and reached for her hand, "A reporter can't _change_ the world, Lois."

"Get your hands off me, John!" she shouted, batting his advance away.

He leaned in with a harsh whisper, "Hey! Don't dismiss me, Lois!"

Clark had been watching for a few moments, trying to decide if it was his place to step in, but right about then a part of him that decided that it was his place to step in and get involved. _Subtly_. He quickly found himself very close to them, trying to place a hand on John's shoulder without ripping his arm off. "Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting..."

Corben turned around and glared, "What the hell do you want?"

It took a second for him to remember that he was supposed to be bumbly, nervous Clark Kent. He quickly pushed his glasses back up his nose and flashed a polite smile. "Ah, well, Lois and I, I think we were supposed to grab _lunch_, right?"

She looked at him with a thankful grin, "It's a _date_, Smallville." She shut an ugly look at Corben.

"And who is _this_ supposed to be?" Corben asked with a steely gaze and cool tone to his voice.

Lois rolled her eyes at how he tried to size up Clark. "This is Clark Kent, he's my _partner_. Smallville, this is John Corben."

He gave him a bit of a awkward wave that clearly didn't impress Corben. He moved in close to Clark, clearly trying to show some kind of physical domination technique to intimidate Clark. "Partner, eh?" Corben smirked. "Nice glasses, Kent"

Clark stuck out his hand with what he hoped looked like a friendly smile, "Thanks. They were my dad's."

His offer was received with an even bigger smirk from Corben as he took his hand and squeezed what Clark assumed was as hard as he could. "I guess things run in families. My father was a _soldier_, and well, I'm guessing yours liked _math_, so you can do _it_. Tell you what, how about I take Lois to lunch and you get back to _World of Warcraft_. What do you say?"

"My father is a _farmer_, backbone of _society_ and such," Clark gritted through a smile before squeezing Corben's hand hard enough to surely cause a couple fractures, not that Corben would dare complain in front of Lois. "And really, if you wouldn't mind, I really need to catch-up with Lois about work stuff. And I'm really more of a _comic book_ kind of guy."

Corben coughed, trying to mask the pain, "Right. Wouldn't want to get in the way of work."

"_Really_?" Lois asked in surprise, not that she minded one bit.

"I'll tell your father you said hello," he grunted.

Corben quickly retreated away and Lois looked at Clark with a big smile. "What the hell, Smallville?" Clark gave her a confused look. "John Corben's my father's deadliest pet soldier. He's a heartless killer, Clark."

"Really?" Clark shrugged. "Seemed like a nice guy to me."

"I've never seen anyone stare him down before," she chuckled. "Let alone blow him off like that."

He shrugged again, trying to seem cool. "Didn't notice. Prescription must be off in my apparently _dorky_ glasses."

Lois looped her arm in his, "Don't worry, Smallville, I dig a guy with glasses. Now I think you mentioned buying me lunch?"

Corben watched from the shadows with a look of pure rage on his face. '_Who did she think she was to turn me down? And for that nerd? Guy looked like he couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper sack to save his life,_' he ranted, still rubbing his hand obliviously in pain. '_Must have freak hand strength from all those video games he probably plays, four-eyed freak._'

He tore out of the Daily Planet like a bat out of hell. Before the hour was up, he was in LexCorp Plaza.

"General, sir... Mr. Luthor, sir..." Corben grinned. "I'd be honored to pilot Project: Metallo..."

_**. . . . later . . . .**_

Corben flexed his hand, feeling the power of the suit at his disposal. He walked towards the wall, and quickly punched a hole clean through it. He turned back to Lex and the General. "Now this is power..." he grinned like a maniac.

"Perfect. Now go get me a Superman trophy, Son," the General grinned.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? We got to see one of my favorite moments, nerdy Clark Kent vs. tough guy John Corben. Yet again, Secret Origin influence is vastly abundant, though I hope I put my own spin on it too. In a lot of ways, this is where things jump off into a new direction that isn't as shackled by the comics/movies/Smallville.

Anyways, shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! Your reviews make the muse talk louder!


	27. Orders

**Review Comments:**

_**blacker316**_ - I'm glad you liked it!

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - It's fun to write some Clois, but unlike my KMorKM stuff, it's nice to write the pre-Clois Clois. Sadly for him, Corben is just destined to become a bad guy in the Superman universe, haha. I liked his Smallville version because he wasn't so black-and-white, but I'll say this, I'm planning to make him a little more multi-faceted down the road. I really liked how the Underwear banter came across in the end, it was a classic line with a more Smallville Clois vibe

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I prefer the print copy, though I have to admit, I've got sooooo many comics now, haha. It's overrunning my life how many I have, haha. I'm a huge reference and call-back fan, so I love looking for little lines or moments I can draw from that make people say, "Oh! That's from [insert comic/movie/show here]!" Plus it really adds to the Superman-ness of it all when you can look at specific examples and inspirations. At least I hope so, haha.

It's a challenge to walk the line between keeping Clark nerdy enough people don't connect the dots, and not make him look like some stooge that gets walked all over, so I'm glad I got the best of two worlds together in that moment, haha. Sam is a tricky character because while he wants to do good, Superman and heroes like him are a threat to him because he sees them as replacing him, and they don't have to answer to anyone. He doesn't like that. But he does want to do good.

_**gathers-no-moss**_ - It's my favorite thing to write, so I'm glad you liked it!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #27, Orders

**Author's Note: **And here's the payoff for the last chapter, plus a cameo for one of my all-time favorite characters!

* * *

He rested his head in his hand with a smirk on his face. "Enjoying yourself?"

She looked up at him, swallowing down a big hunk of her cheeseburger. "What?"

"You haven't said a _word_ since your food got here," Clark snickered.

Lois fixed a glare on him, "I'll have you know, Bibbo Bibbowski makes the _best_ burgers in Metropolis. It's worth the drive into the Suicide Slums, well worth a two hour wait for a table, and when you finally get one, you savor _every_ bite."

Clark glanced up at the boxer turned barkeep of the Ace o' Clubs. "You don't think he _boxed_ the meat like in _Rocky_, do you?"

"Don't be such a girl, Smallville," she rolled her eyes.

And speak of the devil, ole Bibbo walked up just in time. "How's the grub, Lo?" She merely gave him a thumbs up as she wolfed down another bite. He looked to Clark, "Glad to see the Mad Dog isn't too good to _slum_ it in the Slums now dat she's Superman's _personal_ reporter." It made Clark chuckle when Bibbo pronounced it more like _Soop_-erman.

"She's taken me _worse_ places," he smirked.

Lois looked up with a glare, "Eat your salad, Princess. And I'm hardly his personal reporter."

Bibbo waved her off, "You see that _Soop-erman_ 'gain, Lo, you tell him he's always welcome for a pint at the Ace o' Clubs. We saw him on the tube stopping that _Barney the Dinosaur_ looking creature, he's really somethin'."

"You should see him in his _tights_, Bibbo," she winked.

Before Clark could take a second to blush over that comment, he felt a minor rumble. Judging by how no one else reacted to the tremor, he assumed that he must have felt it because of his powers. He immediately stood up.

"Lois, did you hear that?"

She looked up at him with a mouth full of french fries, "'ear _wha'_?"

Clark listened closely, and he could hear the sirens of fire engines screaming down a street not that far away. "Nothing, I uh, I just remembered I was supposed to do something, I've gotta _run_, sorry!"

He stood up and ran out of the diner before Lois could swallow her food, "But you said you were _buying_!"

"He's a bit of a _spitfire_, eh, Lo?" Bibbo chuckled.

Once he got a little ways down the street from the diner, Clark quickly looked around to make sure the coast was clear before running down one of the empty alleys. He ripped his shirt open and immediately a red **\S/** shined over blue.

By the time he got to the scene of the fire, it looked like most everyone was out. "Is everyone ok? Is everyone out?"

"I thought I heard someone in there still, Superman!" shouted one of the bystanders.

"Ok, stay back," he nodded. "I'll take a look."

Superman x-rayed the fire for anyone left inside, but before he could even focus, a fist came flying from the fire knocking him back into the street. He glanced up to see a man incased in a metal suit strutting towards him.

"We knew you responded to _fires_. On behalf of the United States of America, the jig is up, freak!"

He immediately recognized the fist flying his way's voice as John Corben's. Knowing he couldn't fight back, Superman took the hit clean on the chin and fell back a few feet. "Wait! I don't want any trouble, John! I'm not your _enemy_!"

"How do you know my _name_?" Corben shouted. "You use your freak x-ray vision on me? And any _threat_ to my country, is a threat in _my_ book. You're clearly armed and dangerous and I'm taking you out before you hurt anyone!"

"We don't have to do this! I'm not going to hurt-"

Superman groaned as he took a blow to the midsection. Corben advanced, "No. You're not. Because you're _dead_, freak!"

"Look, you don't have to do this..."

Corben advanced on him all the same, delivering another blow to Superman's mid-section. He hobbled away, holding his ribs in pain. Corben merely followed. "I don't want to hurt you, John... Please..."

A smirk twisted onto his face, "That's a shame... Because that's _all_ I want to do to you."

His punch clocked Superman cleanly on the jaw, sending him rolling down the street. The crowds were building and screams echoed as he bounced off the pavement. He was slow to his knees, and Corben was almost upon him again. "No!"

They turned to see where the shriek came from, finding Lois Lane struggling against two soldiers.

Lois quickly stopped on the foot of one soldier before delivering an elbow to his face to knock him down. The second soldier, in a bit of a daze and surprise, turned on her, but Lois was just too quick. She grabbed his rifle, jerking him forward as her leg swept beneath him and tripped him to the ground. He tried to rise, but Lois reared back and knocked him out cold.

"Get _away_ from him, John!" she shouted as she ran between Superman and Corben. "He didn't do anything!"

"He isn't even _human_, Lois!" growled Corben.

Superman shook his head, trying to step in front of Lois, "We're on the _same_ side, John..."

Corben didn't hesitate, delivering a right hook that laid out Superman on the ground. Lois quickly pushed Corben back, at least she tried. "He's not even fighting back! Can't you see that?! He's not trying to fight you!"

"It's called a _preemptive_ strike, Lois," Corben snapped. "I'm going to kill him before he can kill us!"

"Then you'll have to go through me," she screamed, standing firm before her crumpled hero.

Before Corben could blink, food and trash were flying his way. Citizens screamed from outside the military perimeter. "_Stay away from Superman!_" and "_He's our hero_!" echoed through the street. Corben recoiled as a soda can clinked off his helmet and a snarl began to form on his face. "If you're with _him_, then you're _against_ me, Lois!"

He lifted his arm to swat her away, and she knew this might be her end. She closed her eyes as he swung.

The sound of metal hitting steel opened her eyes, as she saw Superman standing in front of her holding back Corben's blow with an equally angry look on his face. "Too far, Corben..." he crushed Corben's metallic arm in his fist.

"Ah!" Corben screamed in agony.

"Now let me teach you some _manners_," Superman growled as he pushed Corben with one hand.

The force was enough to send him flying down the street and into one of the tanks that had rolled in. He all but crushed the tank under the force. Superman looked back at Lois, who was staring in awe. "Are you ok?"

"Uh..." Lois laughed. "Little bit."

Superman smiled that friendly smile that made her shiver, "I'm glad. I'll be right back."

He kicked up off that ground slightly, and flew like a bullet towards Corben. Lois couldn't help but be taken aback by the strength he had within. And the fact that he let John knock him around, she wasn't just talking about his muscles.

Corben was slowly climbing out of the wreckage that had been a tank when Superman stood in front of him. "I told you that I didn't _want_ to hurt you..." he told him. "...but you wouldn't listen."

In a fit of rage, Corben swung at him again, but Superman dodged it with ease. "Shut up!" Corben screamed.

"No, but you should sit down."

He moved so fast that Corben was flying back into a taxi cab. It looked like Corben was down for the count, but he wasn't the only problem that Superman had to deal with. "You just _attacked_ an American soldier!"

Superman turned to see General Samuel Lane standing with at least twenty soldiers at his disposal. "He attacked _me_, sir."

"You're under _arrest_!"

"No," Superman said cooly. "I'm not."

The General's glare grew fierce, "Then you are _engaging_ the United States Military, and we consider you to be armed and extremely dangerous." He walked back behind his soldiers. "Open fire!"

Superman shielded himself from the gunfire, and bullets bounced off and shot different directions. Before anyone could get hurt, he turned his heat vision on the soldiers and delivered controlled blasts at their rifles. One by one, they dropped their rifles in pain as the heat radiated through and burned their hands. The General screamed, "Tank! Fire!"

He turned to see a shell rocketing out of the tank that was left, managing to catch it with his bare hands.

"What _are_ you?" the General whispered.

"Mine!"

Corben jumped onto to Superman's back, and pain shot through him. Corben's armor had begun to peel off, and a green glow shined through the chest cavity. It brought Superman to his knees in agony.

"He's down, General!" Corben shouted. "He's weak, shoot him! _Kill him_, sir!"

The General pulled out his trusty side-arm. An old piece from his first tour. His favorite. He aimed at Superman's head, "You don't _belong_ here, Superman. You should have gone back to your _own_ world."

"I can't..." he groaned. "And even if I could, I wouldn't. This is my home..."

"_Not anymore_."

His finger squeezed around the trigger, and Clark turned away. The bullet ricocheted off his head and up into Corben's chest cavity. The green glow ceased as Corben fell back with an empty thud. Superman turned back quickly, trying to find a pulse on Corben's neck, but it was far too weak. "What have you done?!" screamed the General.

"I didn't do this, _you_ did."

Superman could hear the ambulances screeching their way. He could also hear the reinforcements coming. He had to leave before this got any worse. Before anyone else got hurt. He shot up into the sky like a bullet.

"This _isn't_ over, Superman!" screamed the General. "_This isn't over!_"

As Superman floated over the skyline, he felt the whole world crashing down on him. He could hear every voice. He could hear every television. Questioning who he was? Who sent him here? Why was he here? Was he dangerous?

"Have I made a _mistake_?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Originally, the Bibbo stuff wasn't in here, but I thought, "it should take longer for Corben to become Metallo than some quick lunch at a diner", and I had to add it. Since this suit is more of an Iron Man suit than the internal suit we're more used to, I thought this was enough time to make it work.

BTW, those that are wondering why I haven't updated KMorKM this week, I've just been crazy busy and haven't gotten a chance to sit down and write a chapter yet. Flashpoint has a lot of complete chapters already, so I just have to reply to reviews and post, but I have the next couple days off, so I'll try my best to get two chapters up in the next couple days. As always, thanks for the patience and I promise to make it up to you very soon!

Anyways, let me know what you thought! Clark's world has been turned upside down! Shoot me some reviews!


	28. Dark Alleys

**Review Comments:**

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - Oh, he'll definitely be back, haha. I'm not a fan of killing off great villains like that. I plan on building up the Lois/Clark relationship quite a bit before she finds out they are one in the same. But that's not to say it's going to take forever either. I know when it will happen in the story, just not sure how long that will be posting-wise.

_**Lilbit4**_ - He's certainly not going to win any points for his actions, haha.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - This version of Metallo definitely looks like an Iron Man/Cyborg mix in my head, haha. This is the, _could have been anybody_ suit. John's going to need an upgrade after this encounter, and we'll see the suit become much more of a permanent solution for his health and abilities, but yeah, the Smallville look was kind of hard to look at sometimes, haha.

She isn't going to let this fly, that's for sure. Her relationship with him has always been very strained in the comics, so this is kind of a reflection of that. But that doesn't mean we won't see him try to be more understanding in the future. He has a pretty sizable role in the arc after the one we start with _Dark Alleys_. His intensity is just beginning, haha. Clark's going to be in a dark place, but he's about to get some help from Lois and a special someone, hahaha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter: **#28, Dark Alleys

**Author's Note:** I think this one has been long awaited, so without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

He flew around for a while, trying to help out under the radar when he could.

It reminded him of when he first started training at the Fortress. Jor-El would tell him to go out and use his gifts, to hone his abilities. Clark wouldn't have to go far. Russia. Europe. Even helped a few ships off the coast of Alaska. Anywhere he could go and complete some of his trials, trying to never be seen or go the same place twice.

He took care of a few muggings, blurred by and knocked the criminal out cold. Didn't wait for the police. He trusted the would-be victims would take care of that with their attackers out of commission. He didn't want to be seen right now, he didn't need the hoopla. After a few hours, he decided needed to head home and think about everything that had happened.

Before he could do that, he had to stop for dog food for Shelby. Luckily the little 24-hour market down the street from his apartment had the strangest selection imaginable. They sold tires next to the ice cream for goodness sake.

'_Only in Metropolis,_' he mused.

He made his way down the alley to his apartment's fire escape. He was late on the rent and didn't want to run into the landlord and have to explain he hadn't cashed his check yet because he was busy as Superman.

About halfway down the alley was when he heard the voice. "You're an _idiot_."

"Who's there?" he whipped around, searching for the voice in the darkness.

The flutter of a cape revealed the source of the voice. Perched in a fire escape at the end of the alley, the shape blended into the darkness like it was meant to do that for some reason. Clark wasn't sure what to make of it. His x-ray vision revealed the shape of a man. In his Daily Planet attire, he didn't exactly want to show his hand if he didn't have to. "What do you want?"

"Showing up on video, in pictures without a _mask_?" the voice echoed. "Idiot."

Nervousness crept across his features, "I don't know what you're-"

"Do you even know what _facial recognition_ is?" it echoed again. "We live in an era of technology and information." It dropped from the fire escape gracefully, a little too naturally for Clark's comfort. The shape stepped close down the alley way, "Do you know how easy it is..." the voice was quieter now, not echoing. "...to connect _Superman_ and _Clark Kent_?

"Who are you?" Clark asked a little more confident now. If his secret was out, there was no point in hiding now. But the reporter in him noticed that whoever this person was, he got closer before saying his name.

He wasn't about to announce their little secret to the rest of the world. _Yet_.

The shape approached, and Clark noticed the ears first. Some kind of cowl, he suspected. Another step closer brought out the symbol that connected all the dots. It was like Clark's symbol, except it was a black bat etched across a dark grey chest.

"I'm a _friend_," he explained. "For now. I assume you're x-rayed _my_ mask."

Clark shook his head, "Unlike some, I believe in _privacy_."

He almost thought the shape smiled. "You must have been a boy scout."

"I don't need to x-ray you. You're _the Batman,_ from Gotham," when the figure didn't protest, Clark took it as a yes. "You're all over the news. I'm a reporter at the Daily Planet. You tend to hear about these kinds of things. You _waited_ to say my name, why bother? If _you_ figured it out, the rest of the world is going to find out soon enough."

"They won't."

Clark frowned, "What?"

Batman approached him slowly, walking past him. "I made a _decision_. I had to decide if you were worth protecting, even if you were stupid enough not to wear a mask, and I _chose_ to protect you and your identity."

"Yeah, well, people don't _trust_ people in masks," he said firmly.

He turned on a dime and faced him, "Do you trust me, Clark?"

"I don't know yet. How could you protect me if I was so stupid? Wouldn't the whole world be chomping at that bit?"

Once again, Clark was almost sure he was the makings of a smile. "I have a... _friend_. He's what you'd call, good with technology and computers. Practically _is_ one. Anytime someone tries to connect those dots, he'll be there."

"No one can be _everywhere_, not _all_ the time," Clark shook his head. "Trust me. I've tried."

"He can," the Batman told him. "He's... _connected_."

He eyed him for a long moment, "Why would _you_ want to help me? You don't even know me."

"You've _changed_ things. You're making people believe again. I do what I can in Gotham, but the sad truth is that I can only clean up my small part of the world. I want to save my city, and I want to help save the world, but only _you_ can do that. I'm stopping criminals, but you can show the world a _light_. You can show them an ideal above the corruption and hate."

Clark was taken aback, but never more so than when Gotham's Dark Knight started to remove his cowl.

"I'm taking a huge _risk_ right now," Batman nodded. "You stand for an _old_ idea. And _old fashioned_ symbol. Truth, Justice, and the American Way. On it's face, it's a _ridiculous_ idea. But the truth is, I need that. We _all_ do. Sometimes, the old ideas still work. My name is Bruce Wayne, and I think _we_ can save the world together, Clark. I've got the _shadows_ covered, but to truly save the world from the darkness we _already_ have in our hearts, we're going to need someone like you in the light."

He took all that in for a moment, "I don't know if you've noticed, but the world wasn't exactly very _accepting_ today."

Bruce smiled, an actual smile, "You're showing the world that they don't _need_ people like General Lane or Lex Luthor. You do what you do, and don't ask for anything in return. That _terrifies_ people like that, Clark. Sometimes to do what needs to be done, we have to keep our heads down. We have to ignore the law, because it was made by people who want to abuse their power and stay in a position to abuse the people. They'll try to bring you down if you _oppose_ them, you will have to _fight_."

"I'm not going to fight the people I've sworn to protect," Clark said firmly. "I'm _no one's_ enemy."

He put his cowl back on, "If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that trying to good, puts a _target_ on your back. It doesn't matter how you do it. Ask any president, any district attorney, anyone who has tried to _help_. Lincoln, JFK, Bobby Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luthor King. They preached _peace_. They paid the price. If you want to talk, you can find me in Gotham."

Batman lifted what looked like some kind of gun into the air and shot into the night above. "No matter how badly you want to save the world, there will always be an opposing force and you can't always do it _alone_. We can help each other."

And like that, the mysterious Batman was gone, and Clark wasn't sure to make of what just happened. Did he just make a friend? He'd heard stories of this Batman. Not all of them were pleasant. Crime did not pay in Gotham City, not anymore. Not unless you had great medical benefits. But given all that has happened, who was he to start making judgements?

At least this Batman character thought he was doing the right thing, but could he really do it? Could he just keep his head down and ignore the law like Batman did? Clark wasn't sure that was the kind of hero he wanted to be.

He needed to go get his bearings. He needed to go home.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? The long awaited debut of the Batman, and I'm sure you'll be surprised by what he had to say. The truth is, the most effective team out there is Superman and Batman. They compensate for each other's weaknesses. Superman can take the high ground, both literally and figuratively, while Batman can do what needs to be done sometimes that Clark can't do, whether it's a moral issue or an image issue.

I'm expecting a few people to say Batman wouldn't have given up his identity so easily, but I would argue that Bruce is smart enough to know he has to play that card for Clark's trust. There's no way he'd do it for anyone else, and it will be addressed in the upcoming chapters. Bruce believes in Clark, and we'll see why he was able to make that jump.

But anyways, make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	29. Hero or Villain?

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas-El**_ - Their meeting sets up the next arc I've got planned, which spins out of this kind of lull these next couple chapters will be. I was on the fence about it, honestly, Bruce revealing his secret. I ended up going with the Superman the Animated series feel where they found out who each other were almost immediately after meeting. That Captain America talk definitely touches on a lot of what I try to say about Clark. He does stand for something old fashioned, it's part of what makes him the hero that he is. He's from Smallville, he grew up amongst everyday people, he has a simply different outlook than most have because of it. He doesn't have that jaded side of himself, which will be part of his struggle moving forward.

_**blaker316**_ - I'm glad that you liked it!

_**thkrya17**_ - That's very kind of you to say! I'm glad that you're enjoying it!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - It was a bit of a risk to have Bruce reveal his identity, so I'm glad that everyone seems to have liked it so far! It was kind of inspired by the Superman the Animated Series meeting between the two for them to find out each other's identities so quick. Though Bruce concealing Clark's identity was always going to be a key aspect of it.

Clark is definitely shaken up, as you will see in this chapter. His world has been turned upside down and he's not sure what to make of it all. Luckily, someone is on their way to show him some perspective, haha. Metallo will return, and when he does, it will be that much harder for Clark because I'll just say this, Metallo will be more than a physical test for Clark, haha.

_**R**_ - Thanks! I'm glad you're liking it so far!

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - I haven't gotten Tess in as much as I'd like, I'm doing kind of four-chapter arcs right now, so space for all that I want to be going on is difficult, so I'm glad that her appearance was effective. She's going to have a sizable role coming up, and she'll definitely be doing some detective work of her own. I love Jimmy, but he's in the same boat as Tess, just not enough room for all I want to have going on, but he'll be back in the spotlight for sure soon.

Lex definitely has ice in his veins, haha. Lionel's role will also expand as the focus will shift back onto Lex soon, and I'm very excited for the role that he is going to play in this story. Who he was to Clark, which might not be what people think it was, and who he will be to Lex, is going to be a big role in their rivalry. Tess will have a role in that too.

_**cathy03**_ - Oh, it's good to see your name again! haha. I bet you're exhausted! haha. I'm glad you liked the Bats/Supes meet, and it was fun to write Lois running off trying to find the Red Blue Blur, though I have to admit, I originally planned to have that go on for longer, but I missed having the Clois banter too much, haha. She was supposed to go to Boston and meet Aquaman for sure, and possibly journey to Coast City or Star City too, but I needed me some Clois time, haha.

The first draft of the interview wasn't so confident and comfortable for Clark, but after reading through it, I decided that I had to show a contract between Superman and Clark. Just another layer of the disguise really. I wanted Superman to leave her with this confident feel, and then for Clark to be less so, which I'll make more of an effort to distinguish in the future.

I understand falling behind! haha. I do it all the time, but I know I'll see your name eventually! haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #29, Hero or Villain?

**Author's Note:** Clark's run-in with Corben and General Lane will have fall-out, starting here! Enjoy!

* * *

"I told Mr. White I needed a few days to myself. I told him I'm working on an personal fluff piece about Superman, which is really _all_ he cares to talk about these days, he's still glowing over my story on _the Parasite_."

Jonathan sighed, "You should be in Metropolis. It's where you _belong_, Son."

"You didn't see them, Dad," Clark shook his head. "They came after me for no reason at all... besides _what_ I am anyways. I mean, a representative of this country, a _general_, tried to kill me for being... _me_. Maybe we had this all wrong."

"He's just _one_ man, Clark. And those soldiers were just taking _orders_. They don't speak for everyone else."

He hung his head, "I don't know. Maybe I'm not meant to be anything more than a farm boy. Maybe it was _mistake_ to let the world know that I was here. Maybe I should have just stayed in Smallville, kept away from the spotlight."

"You know that's not true."

"I don't know anymore, Dad..."

Jonathan didn't really know what to say. His son had his dark days like anyone did, but this time it was different. What went down had shaken him to his core. How could it not? The people he swore to protect, tried to kill him. Clark had grown up with the fear that the world wouldn't accept him, and that's exactly what happened. He was bound to be devastated.

He decided to lighten the mood, "Well, how are things going with Lois then? What does she think about all this?"

"What?" Clark's head shot up. "What does that- Why would you ask me about _Lois_?"

Martha joined them in the barn with a tray of lemonade, exchanging an amused look with her husband. "She told me you two have been spending a lot of time _together_, Clark, that's all."

Clark frowned, "When did she tell you that?"

"She _calls_," Martha rolled her eyes playfully. "Not that _my son_ knows how to do that."

"I don't _call_ because I can just _fly_ home," Clark sighed with a smile. His mother was such a worrier. "And we haven't been spending _a lot_ of time together. We just work together. Mr. White made us _partners_."

Jonathan sipped his lemonade with a smirk, "Partners, eh?"

"Since when do you smirk like that?"

"Lois taught me how to text before we left, so she texts me sometimes. She says _smirks_ rile you up," he snickered.

Clark laughed as he turned to his mother. "I don't like the effect she is having on him. Shouldn't you be keeping him on a _shorter_ leash?" Martha rolled her eyes at him, but something else caught Clark's attention first. He started to sniff the air with a furrowed brow. "Are you making something? It smells like _maple_."

Martha looked away coyly. "I'm making maple bars."

"Maple bars?" Clark twisted his face in confusion. "Since when do you... Oh god, you didn't-"

There was a sound of tires sliding across gravel, and Clark's hand flew to his face as a voice carried through the air. "Is this the Kent Farm? I swear, it's like the _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ out here, I'm gunna get _murdered_."

"One can only hope," Clark growled under his breath.

Jonathan smacked his arm with a laugh, "Smile, Son. Lois! You found us! I told you to text me if you got lost!"

Clark glared at his mother, who rolled her eyes. "She said she hadn't had a home cooked meal in _ages_!"

"That's because people don't invite her places, Mom! She's _unpleasant_!"

Lois quickly appeared behind him, an arm wrapping around his neck as she tried to stand tall next to him. "Oh, Smallville, it wouldn't be me that you're praising so _highly_, now would it?" She squeezed his neck, a smirk dancing across her face.

"What are you doing here, Lane?" he tried not to smile. "Fly all the way out just to _torture_ me?

She wagged her head and patted his, "Oh, how I wish I could say that was the case. Chief flew me out because my inside-girl tipped me off that our favorite _Mr. Magoo_ is digging for something in Smallville, and I wanna know _why_."

"Lex is digging in Smallville? What could he possibly be looking for _here_?"

Lois shrugged, "That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Tess said it was some kind of _power_ source."

Jonathan shook his head, "I know this entire county like the back of my hand, and I can't imagine that Luthor is going to find anything but _corn_ and _dirt_ in Smallville. And he ought to know that. He overstayed _his_ welcome long enough."

"You don't think this has anything to do with _Project: Metallo_ do you?" Clark asked. "Did you ever find out how your friend was doing? After the _incident_ with Superman?" he tried to ask calmly, but both Martha and Jonathan could see his worry.

She shook her head, "John was taken off, _alive_, by my father, but I don't know where to. And whatever happened, he brought it on himself. Superman was just trying to protect the people around, and John went _crazy_. So did my father. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him, and I hope he is ok, but it _wasn't_ Superman's fault John got hurt."

"You seem to be the _only_ one that feels that way," Clark muttered.

"Don't tell me you're jumping on that bandwagon, Smallville," Lois snapped. "Superman saved my life, more than once. You owe him for my _continued_ beloved presence in your life, you know?"

Clark rolled his eyes playfully at her smirk, "I'll have to thank him."

"That's more like the Smallville we know and tolerate," she beamed. "Now, I believe your mom was telling me about a home cooked meal? I've been on the road since Kansas City and I don't think they deliver _Chinese_ out here."

Martha quickly linked arms with Lois, "Have you ever cooked before, Lois?"

"Uh, yeah, but what's the _response time_ for the fire department out here?" she snickered. "Unless Smallville can use all that air in his head to blow out fires like Superman?" she turned and stuck out her tongue.

He briefly considered unleashing a little Arctic Breath on her as she walked away.

"See, Son?" Jonathan wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Lois believes in you. She knows you did the _right_ thing."

Clark sighed and looked at the ground. "I wish it was that easy, Dad, but it's like everything I've _ever_ been scared of. Except this time, it's not just the kids in school, or some strangers. This is _big_. And it's not just me, what about you and mom?"

"Those people needed your help, Clark. I was willing to do whatever it took to protect your secret for as long as we meant for it to be a secret, but when it comes to doing what's _right_ and helping those in _need_, it's _more_ important than your secret. I knew all those years ago back in Miller's Field, that we were taking on a responsibility that we couldn't _possibly_ imagine. And I've had more than twenty of the happiest years of my life. Your mother would say the same."

He hung his head, "But-"

"There's no but about it, Son," Jonathan stopped him. "Using your abilities to help people, is _more_ important. You can't let innocent people die to keep your secret. That's _not_ the man I raised you to be. You did the right thing. And I will gladly look that general in the eye and tell him to do his worst, because I'm _proud_ of what you did, Clark."

Clark stared at his father, "I will _never_ let anything happen to you."

Jonathan smiled, "We all have our time, Clark. And I'm proud of how I spent mine. Raising _you_." He squeezed Clark's arm to keep those cloudy thoughts from coming again. "Now let's go inside and see how everything is coming along."

"Yeah, I might need to put out a _fire_ if Mom lets Lois near the oven," Clark chuckled.

"I was more concerned your mom might be showing her your _Elmer Fudd_ night light," he snickered.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Clark is a bit broken, and his parents aren't sure what to say to make it all better because let's face it, Clark's gotta be pretty terrified right now. But with Lois in town, we'll see if she can't put a smile on that ole Clark Kent face, eh? haha. Hope you guys caught the reference to KMorKM in that last line!

Until next time! Shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought!


	30. Secret Origin: Family

**Review Comments:**

_**blaker316**_ - I'm glad you liked it!

_**Hotchocolate329**_ - Modern technology gives Lois the opportunity to bond with the Kents a little bit more, and it'll definitely be a theme across the series. Since they won't get to see each other often, I'm going to use that to my advantage. Of course, the Elmer Fudd nightlight is a staple of my other series, and when I had a moment for Jonathan to tease Clark about Martha showing Lois something embarrassing, I just had to mention it, haha.

_**SmallvilleAU52**_ - I wanted to show that Clark could use his brain to win a fight, and since the destruction of cities is going to come up in the near future, it was important to put that beat in about Clark fixing the city in there early on. Lois and Clark are going to have each other's backs quite often, and they really drive each other in multiple ways. Lex and the General are definitely going to be a thorn in Clark's side, politically and physically going forward.

Corben's a bit of a true-believer. He does what he's told. The scary thing is that these people are all over the place. She's got a way about her, doesn't she? haha. The interview was a ton of fun to write, haha. I had to add her quirks. Corben and Clark don't get off to a good start, and it's only going to get worse from here unfortunately, haha.

That's just who Lois is. She's always putting her life on the line to do what's right, and in that situation, protecting Superman was what she deemed to be right. It's just part of who she is. I really like getting to write the Batman version of Bruce since he's normally just Bruce in KMorKM, haha. Modern technology gives Lois the opportunity to bond with the Kents a little more and it'll definitely be a theme across the series. Lex always has something up his sleeve, haha.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - They are part one, part two comes in the next chapter, haha. Jonathan is going to be Clark's advisor in his caped life. Martha will have a big role in his personal life in the near future. Lois' trip to Smallville was originally part of a different storyline, and it got shifted a bit to work with the new storyline, so I'm glad it still works, haha.

_**R**_ - I'm glad you liked it!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #30, Secret Origin: Family

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry guys! I forgot to post this with the last chapter, haha. Enjoy!

* * *

They waited patiently. This wasn't the time to push.

He'd only been gone for less than a day, he'd been gone much longer times before, but it felt like forever to them. Now that he was back, they almost wished it had been longer. Because maybe then, maybe it would have been _good_ news.

"I thought... When the crystal was leading me _away_," he almost whispered. "I thought there would be a _ship_, or a portal like in those old movies. A portal to _another_ world. That I would get there, and I'd be able to go to where I'm from. That I'd get all of the answers I've always wanted. Maybe I'd find _them_. And I'd... _know_."

Martha held his hand tight, and she wasn't letting go. "Know what, Clark?"

He hung his head. She could just tell he was fighting back tears. "Every time I look in the mirror, I wonder what part of me is _them_. Beyond my abilities. What parts of me are them, and I know now that I'll _never_ know."

"Son... You don't know that..." Jonathan tried to comfort him.

Clark blinked through the tears and looked him dead in the eye. "I _do_ know, Dad. My name is Kal-El, and I'm from the planet Krypton. But it's gone. _They're_... gone. The crystal built this kind of... ice _fortress_ in the arctic. There's a voice inside and it's my biological father, Jor-El. I've never known _why_ they sent me away... if there was something _wrong_ with me, if they didn't _want_ me... but now I know it's because they had to. The planet was about to be destoryed, and now I'm _all_ that's left..."

She gasped and hugged him tightly, "I'm so sorry..."

"But you said there's a _voice_, Clark..." his father offered. "...he's there."

"It's just a ghost in a machine... He told me that," he swallowed deeply. "That he sent me all of his knowledge, but none of his ego or regrets... That he would be burdening me with his frailties and failures... It's not _actually_ him. I'll never know who they _really_ were. I'll never know where Clark Kent _begins_ and Kal-El _ends_..."

Jonathan didn't know what to do, so he simply hugged his son with everything he had. Martha snaked her arms around his waist and they just sat there. It was remarkable how despite seeming to be alone in the universe, these two people could make Clark feel as loved as anyone could ever possibly feel. They were his rock in an otherwise impossible life.

"You know, Son..." Jonathan sniffled a little bit. "I don't have anything to make this _all_ better, because I can't answer that for you... But I know _exactly_ who you are. You're my son. Clark, Kal-El, all of it. And we love you, no matter _where_ you're from or what _parts_ come from where. You are our son, and you make us _so_ proud."

Martha nodded against his arm, "You were our _miracle_, Clark... You're the _best_ thing that ever happened to us."

"Whatever parts come from your _biological_ parents, they help make the man I see before me," he added firmly. "They make up the man that I _know_ is going to change the world, Clark. You're going to do such amazing things."

"We _believe_ in you," Martha cooed. "And I know, _somehow_, they believe in you too. They believed in you enough to send you through space, making you leave when they needed you _most_, because they knew you had _greatness_ inside you..."

Tears fell freely from his eyes, "I love you guys... I love you so much..."

All three of the Kents quickly embraced in the kind of hug only people with the purest of loves can share. They knew that he would struggle with not knowing his family for the rest of his life, but they also knew that together, they could get through anything. As Martha Kent liked to say, '_Life asks of us what it can handle_.' And together, they could handle a lot.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Since we didn't really get a look at Clark's younger years when this all started, I wanted to give a look at it in one of these Secret Origin chapters. I wanted to show how important the Kents are for Clark and tamper some expectations of Jor-El. That's not to say that we won't see an evolution in Jor-El, but he's definitely not the one that Clark runs to when he has problems with being a hero. That's where Jonathan and Martha come in.

Anyways, let me know what you thought! Shoot me some reviews and I'll go get the next one ready!


	31. Power

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #31, Power

**Author's Note: **Alrighty, and now, the next part of the story! Enjoy!

* * *

"Lois..."

She pushed papers around, flashlight hanging out of her mouth. "Wha's'it? Did 'ou find somethin'?"

Clark looked around the cramped office of the construction company that LexCorp was hiring out to. They hadn't found any indication of what they were digging for. "Have you thought anymore about Superman lately?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, taking the flashlight out of her mouth.

He shrugged, "Like... About his run-in with the _government_? Don't you think he's worried about it?

"He's made of _steel_, Smallville," Lois rolled her eyes. "I don't think he's worried what the government _thinks_."

Clark stood up abruptly, surprising her a little bit. "That's the point, Lois. If he's made of _steel_? He can't be hurt. And if he's spent his whole life here, and we're just finding out about him _now_, that means he's been scared to show who he really is all this time. And when he finally _does_, the representatives of the only home he's ever known, call him a _monster_. Don't you get it, Lois? This has to be the _scariest_ thing Superman's ever had happen to him..."

She was taken aback, "I hadn't thought about it like _that_..."

"Yeah..." he muttered, surprised at his own outburst.

Lois eyed him carefully for a moment, "You've sure given this a lot of _thought_, Smallville."

He shrugged, "I've uh... been trying to show Mr. White what I can do, and all he really wants to talk about lately is Superman, so I thought I'd try and do a human interest piece?" He felt like that was a good enough excuse.

"Superman isn't _human_, Clark," she frowned.

"He _feels_ like he is, Lois..." he almost whispered. "That's why he's so _scared_..." He looked up to see her watching him very closely. "I mean, he probably is... I mean, I assume he is. I don't know what he's _actually_ thinking..."

She nodded slowly for a second, "I guess I know what you mean. He doesn't know anything _else_. It's like my mother. She died a long time ago, and even though I have pictures of us _together_, when I was young, I don't really _remember_ her. She's basically a _stranger_ to me. That's how he must feel. As sad as that sounds. It's _hard_ to explain."

"Sometimes..." she looked up to see him, and she knew it was one of those rare glimpses of who he _really_ was. "...you wonder what _part_ of you is them. And what they'd say to you if they were _here_ now..."

Lois shook her head for a second, "How..."

"Jonathan and Martha Kent aren't my _biological_ parents," he smiled. "I was adopted. I never knew my biological parents, and I've always wondered, I don't know where they _end_ and my adopted parents _begin_. I understand not knowing, Lois."

"Ok, what the hell, Smallville?" she laughed. "Who are you? _Really_?"

Clark swallowed, "Uh, what do you mean?"

"One minute, you're this _complete_ idiot," she threw her arms in the air. "You don't know up from down, walking around with that _goofy_ hat and your _oversized_ glasses, trying to match wits with me and _failing_, I might add." Clark rolled his eyes, but she wasn't fooled. "But then I see the you that you _try_ to hide. There's _confidence_ there, and not the arrogance you try to flaunt at me. I'm talking strength in _character_. And you see _everything_. Big and small, good and bad, as _insightful_ as it gets."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lois," he muttered nervously.

Lois eyed him for a second, "You keep telling _yourself_ that, Smallville, but I'm on to you. I don't know why you're trying to be someone that you're _clearly_ not, but I'm going to figure it out, or I'm not Lois Lane."

"Aren't we supposed to be finding out what Lex is digging for?" he asked nervously, pulling his collar.

"Luckily for you, my _Planet_ deadline is a little more pressing than my deadline to make you _squeal_," she huffed. "Now, if I was some uber illegal document showing some uber illegal plan, where would I be?"

Clark frowned, "What makes you sure it's so illegal?"

"Because if it wasn't, LexCorp wouldn't be _secretly_ digging in Smallville, now would it?" Lois pointed out. "This whole op is off the books. And besides, what is so special that he'd have to dig in Smallville for in the first place?"

"Unless Lex is trying to engineer some kind of bio-fuel out of corn, you've got me, and I know every inch of Smallville."

_**. . . . later, back in Metropolis . . . .**_

He floated high about the city, just listening.

Clark could hear it all. Big and small, good and bad as Lois told him. Families chattering about school and dinner, police sirens in the air. He knew he should be down there, doing what he could like he was raised to do. But he needed this moment. He was in unknown territory, not sure what to do and he had no one to talk to about it.

His father would tell him to come clean, consequences be damned, but Clark couldn't let that happen to his parents. His new friend Bruce told him to keep his head down, but he protected his city like some kind of outlaw. All Clark wanted to do was help the world, but what if the world didn't want his help? The Government attacked him for just trying to help. Was he really an _outlaw_? Was he _unwelcome_? Maybe the few positive voices were just that: _the Few_.

_"I don't know if you can hear this... But I think you can hear everything..."_

It caught his attention immediately because he was always tuned in for that voice. Sometimes it was hard because he had to force himself to close himself off, not wanting to invade her privacy, but as he dialed his vision, he saw her there on the roof of the Daily Planet. It was almost like she was trying to speak to him. Just to him.

"_My partner, Clark, he was uh, talking about you today,_" she told him. "_You see, we were trying to find something, and failing miserably, so he brought you up, and the whole thing got me thinking... He said that you might be scared. Which I thought was crazy, you're Superman after all... But, and don't tell him this, but he made some good points..._"

He grinned to himself, '_If she only knew..._'

"_Sometimes I forget that for all your abilities, or no matter how far away from here you might have been born, this is where you are from. This is your home... And what happened with my father... With the soldiers... It might make you feel like you don't belong... Like you're an outcast or something, but I want you to know... you'll never be alone. We believe in you. I believe in you. They don't speak for us all. The world needs you, more than you'll ever know..._"

Clark closed his eyes, and he could feel a warmth spread throughout himself.

"_Maybe that's why they're so scared of you,_" Lois shrugged. "_Maybe they're scared because the world needs you even more than it needs them. You give us hope. You only want to help us, and you ask for nothing in return... You do what you do out of pure compassion and love for all of these people... You touch the lives of everyone, as a symbol... You make us believe that we can have peace, that we can be better, that we can fix ourselves from the inside out..._"

He wanted to fly down. He wanted to tell her how much everything she said meant to him. Sometimes, for all it's people and splendor, Clark felt so alone in this big city, but she made him feel like this was exactly where he was supposed to be.

"_I don't know why I'm up here..._" she laughed. "_I just... I was scared you might want to leave or give up and something, and I just wanted you to know... I believe in you, and I hope that you stay._"

Clark smiled to himself as he watched her leave the rooftop. He closed his eyes and looked deep inside himself, and he knew what he had to do. He cast a look back at the Daily Planet before turning back, an eye on a destination in the distance.

"Looks like _he_ could use some help," he muttered, and in a flash, he was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? I wanted to emphasize how much the run-in got in Clark's head, and we're not done with that by a long shot, but I needed to give Clark the strength to get over it, and who better than Lois and the Kents to get him there? I'm excited about where we go from here, so make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought about what Clark had to say about Superman and what Lois had to say in response!

By the by, I'm on Tumblr now for those that are interested. CaptainTightpants12 dot Tumblr. I'm just feeling it all out, but I'm thinking I might do some comic review every week from my pull-list for those that are interested! Blame Katlynne! haha.


	32. Back-Up

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas-El**_ - I'm glad you liked it! I wanted to show some of the feelings Clark must have felt finding out that he'd never get to meet his biological parents, and the initial Fortress visit seemed like the logical place to aftermath with them. She didn't get to the top of the Daily Planet without some insight! haha. A big part of Clark's confidence comes from Lois' belief in him, so in a moment where he is at his lowest, I had to let her be the one that lifted him back up. Lex's intentions will be revealed soon enough, I can say this for sure, it's not for any positive reason regarding Clark, haha.

_**blaker316**_ - Thanks! Glad you liked it!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Always happy to induce dancing! haha. That's the best part about the Kents, they don't have all the answers that Clark needs, but they love him enough that they make it better anyways. I definitely liked writing their little Nancy Drew sneak around detective work, haha, and it's definitely going to come up in the future. And yeah, I let the Kents set-up it up, but I've gotta let Lois take the swing to bring him back from the brink, haha.

They've got a ways to go, but I know when it will be happening, so that's a good sign for you, haha. Yep, I'm on Tumblr now even though I haven't had any time to check on it since I made it! haha. I think I'll be doing weekly comic reviews, I think that would be kind of fun, haha. I'm still figuring it all out, so we'll have to see how it goes! haha.

**R** - Awww, thanks! I'm glad you liked them! I don't have any plans to stop as long as you guys keep reading!

_**cathy03**_ - Things are about to really go crazy with new characters and big consequences! I'm glad you liked the last three and of course, I love writing the Kents as much as you love reading them! haha. I just had this scene in my head of Lois kicking in the door and Clark groaning, haha. I had to let her save the day! haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter: **#32, Back-Up

**Author's Note: **Alrighty folks, here's the continuation before the next big arc! Enjoy!

* * *

"You sure you can _handle_ this town?"

The Batman turned on him quickly, "Excuse me?"

Clark rolled his eyes, "I was on patrol with you for two hours and we had to deal with a giant lizard, a guy with a freeze gun, and don't even get me _started_ about that weirdo with the doll."

"That's just a _monday_ in Gotham, Clark," Bruce shook his head. "And I've got animal sedatives and a heat gun in my utility belt and my fists do most of the work with the Ventriloquist. I've got it _covered_."

"You really open yourself up to _purse_ jokes, you know that?"

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "What do I owe the pleasure of your company, Clark?"

"You invited me to come to Gotham to talk, I wanted to talk."

"This have anything to do with the _run-in_ you had to with John Corben and company?" Bruce asked, taking off the cowl, but leaving the utility belt as Clark immediately noticed. '_Must not trust me enough for that yet,_' he figured. "Have you thought more about my _offer_ to help with your identity? It's still on the table."

"Yes and no, though I'd like to know how you plan to _do_ that exactly."

He walked up to the Bat-Computer and clicked away at the keys. A file for a Victor Stone appeared on the screen. "I have a contract with S.T.A.R. Labs with a man named Silas Stone. When his son was caught in an accident explosion at the lab, Silas saved his life with an experimental technology that has effectively turned him into a living _computer_."

"What kind of technology?"

"It was an _experimental_ WayneTech nano-tech that was meant to be able to _recreate_ solid objects, break down, and create new objects," Bruce explained. "When Silas exposed Victor to it, the nano-bytes replaced several of his _organs_ and most of his bodily structure. He will _never_ be able to be separated from the nano-bytes and survive."

Clark ran his hand through his hair, "That's awful..."

"Yes and no."

"How is it _not_?"

Bruce pulled up some more files on the screen. "When I visited S.T.A.R. Labs after the accident, I asked to meet Victor to see how his recovery was going. When I met him, I realized that he was giving me _shifty_ looks, and when I asked him what was wrong, he started babbling about how he didn't _mean_ to do something. Without even trying, he connected _every_ dot available through the internet to figure out that I was Batman. Without even _trying_."

Clark shook his head, "How is that possible?"

"His brain was badly damaged during the accident and the nano-bytes replaced _parts_ of it. He processes information at speeds that are unheard of. He told me he just saw flashes of shipping manifests and accounts and his mind just deduced it all. After he saw you at LexCorp, it took him _five minutes_ to run a kind of internal facial recognition program in his mind to figure out you were Clark Kent from Smallville High. Adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent. _Barely_ legally anyway."

"Five minutes? That's _all_?"

Bruce turned to face Clark entirely. "Victor Stone might be the most _powerful_ person on the planet, Clark. He was able to go out into the world and erase _every_ digital footprint of Batman, and because I decided to _trust_ you, Superman too."

He stared at Bruce blankly, "I don't know what to say..."

"Tell him _thanks_ when you see him," Bruce shrugged. "He's working everyday to refine his connection, but he's been able to sense whenever someone tries to use technology against us, to try and figure out who we are. He has to block _A.R.G.U.S._ all day everyday, and he gets better everyday. He doesn't even have to _actively_ think about it now."

"He's just a _kid_, Bruce... Can we really ask him to protect the two of us?"

Bruce almost smiled. He did that a lot, Clark suspected. _Almost_ smiling. "It's not _just_ the two of us, Clark."

"You think there are _more_ people out there like us?"

"I _know_ there is."

He took that in for a second, "Have you reached out to them? Like you did with me?"

"No," Bruce said bluntly. "I like to keep my eye on possible situations, but you were _different_."

"How so?"

He eyed him for a second. "I know your _past_. I know about the Kents. I know _everything_, really. Even the Ice Castle you've got in the Arctic. I know that you're one of the most _dangerous_ people on the planet, not that you _realize_ it. And maybe that is the reason I decided to trust you. You're an alien from outer-space, you shoot _fire_ from the skies like a _god_, and you _could_ walk among us like one too. But you _don't_ do that, because you see yourself as a _man_ in every way but _origin_."

Clark narrowed his eyes and listened.

"You're not out for _vengeance_, or because you have _sins_ to pay for. You do what you do because you _genuinely_ think it's the right thing to do. I might regret this, but I think I can trust you. That's _why_ you're different. There isn't _anyone_ in the world I would have taken my cowl off for, but I knew I _had_ to make you trust me."

"_Should_ I trust you?"

Bruce smirked, "I don't suppose knowing you're Clark Kent is _enough_?" He saw Clark was serious. "I lost my parents. And as much as I'd like to blame their shooter, it was the _corruption_ of this city that killed them. I'm Batman because Gotham _isn't_ capable of saving itself. I could _try_ to stop muggers, but if I want to save this city, I have to go to the _source_. The mob runs the police and the politics in Gotham, so I'm taking the fight to _them_."

"You haven't exactly taken it _easy_ on them, if you know what I mean," Clark narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not _bulletproof_. I'm not _super-strong_, Clark. _Fear_ is my weapon. Fear of the Batman, because one man isn't enough to stop them. Fear makes shooters _miss_ their target. Fear makes a mobster think _twice_ about dealing at a playground. They see me in the shadows, caped and dark, they know what _I've_ done to their friends. I'm a _monster_ to them."

He nodded, "I can understand that, but there is a _line_. And if you want this to work, you _can't_ cross it."

Bruce gave him a steely look, "That goes _both_ ways, Clark."

"Fair enough," Clark nodded. "What do you know about the _others_ out there?"

"I don't have as much as I'd like," Bruce muttered as he pulled up files on the screen. "I've got intel on a character calling himself the Flash in Central City, speed like yours, but that looks like _all_ he's got under his belt. There's a missing _pilot_ from Ferris-Air that disappeared after an unprecedented energy signature blew through airspace in Coast City."

Clark spoke up, "I heard about that one. Hal Jordan, wasn't it?"

"Exactly. When he first disappeared after the energy signature appeared, he said his jet malfunctioned. I picked up another faint energy signature a day after, and then a slightly stronger one after that, he's been missing ever since. And I'm sure you heard about this Amnesty Bay Guardian, saving lost _ships_ out in Boston."

"Do you have anyone else on your docket?"

Bruce shook his head, "There's only _one_ other strong case, but I'm keeping that one close to my chest for now. The rest are fringy at best. There have been some events following an _illusionist_ act, but I've just got on board with aliens, I'm a little more apprehensive about _magic_. Equally concerning events in Louisiana with some kind of _Swamp_ Monster."

"I never thought there'd be _other_ people like me," Clark chuckled.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg, Clark," Bruce nodded. "Is _this_ what you came to talk about? Trying to find out if I knew of people like _you_? You said that you came here to talk about something after all."

Clark gave him a shifty look, "I have to... _do_ something, and I'm sure that you're _not_ going to like it, but I'd like to know that I can count on you if I needed you. Not just in case there are people like us, but because certain people might be _threatened_ by people like us, and I might need _your_ help, just like you might need _mine_ someday."

"What exactly _are_ you planning to do, Clark?"

_**. . . . later . . . .**_

"Hello."

The receptionist chewed her gum loudly, pointing at paperwork to her right. "Fill out your form and bring it back."

"Uh, I'm sorry, I don't really know _which_ one is right for me..." he said with a nervous chuckle.

She looked up, preparing to snarl, "What is _wrong_ with you people- _Oh my god_... It's _you!_"

"They call me Superman, and I'd like to _surrender_ myself for _questioning_ if you wouldn't mind calling someone?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Lots of Bruce/Clark fun, and then, wait, what?! haha. Who is Clark surrendering himself to? Why is he surrendering himself at all? What's going to happen next?! I'm very excited about the next arc, and I get to introduce some of my favorite characters to you guys! I know that a lot of you will never have heard of them, so that just makes me giddy to think I get to be the one that exposes you to them!

Anyways, until next time! Shoot me somer reviews and let me know what you thought!


	33. Surrender

**Review Comments:**

_**White-Falcon-06**_ - Clark is definitely going to look to mend some fences, and he'll have his work cut out for him!

_**Jas- El**_ - That's something I'm trying to show with this version of the character. Information is so important, and technology runs our world. Victor has access to it all. That makes him extremely dangerous as a character. If he was corrupted, he could shutdown the entire world. You think about something like the Matrix, or even the less sci-fi Live Free or Die Hard, you see how reliant society is on technology, and Victor could bend it to whatever he likes.

As you know, it's going to be a big part of the relationship with these two. And it's going to be an important part of future arcs that could include any of the characters that got called-out on. I'm excited to see your guys' reactions to the questioning!

_**Tomarisun**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! And that speech by Lois is one of my favorite things I've ever written. I wanted it to come across like a faint hope that he would hear it, and that she'd pour her heart out about how she sees him and what he means to the world, and I'm just really happy how it turned out and really glad you liked it!

_**blaker316**_ - Thanks!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - It was more inspired by Secret Origin and his interrogation at the hands of General Lane, but I can see how you might think so, haha. Kryptonite isn't really known about yet, at least not by the government, hahaha. That was in my sinister voice, btw, hahaha. I think he's going to the government instead because it's his way of showing that he wants to mend some fences for the incident with John Corben. Lois is definitely going to have words for him, hahaha.

_**Graysongirl1**_ - Aww! Thank you so much! I'm glad that you like it so far, and I'm glad you like Lois since she's my favorite character to write! Hopefully you'll like what comes next, because I'm excited about it!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #33, Surrender

**Author's Note:** Superman was surrendering the last time we spoke... What the heck? Find out here! haha.

* * *

He wanted to laugh. _Handcuffs_? Really?

But he played the part of captive willingly. If handcuffs made them feel more comfortable, who was he to argue? They even put him in some kind of containment cell. His x-ray vision quickly told him that if the time came, it wouldn't hold him. The whole thing was like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. They didn't understand who he was or what he was capable of.

Then again, maybe that was the problem. But that's what he was here to fix.

After a while, about a helicopters flight from Metropolis to Washington D.C., the door opened slowly. An older man with enough military decorations to anchor a boat walked through the door. "Finally felt like _talking_, eh?"

Superman quickly recognized him as the man who shot him in Metropolis. "I was willing to talk _before_, sir."

"That's not how _I_ remember it," he growled as he saw down, opening a file on the table. "I have to assume you're here to surrender for your _crimes_ as an enemy of the state and for your actions from three days ago then?"

"I'm _no one's_ enemy, sir."

The General narrowed his eyes, "Tell that to the men you _attacked_."

"I didn't attack anymore, sir," Superman said firmly. "I responded to a fire, and your men _ambushed_ me. I tried not to engage them, as many bystanders will attest. One of which was your _daughter_, I might add."

"My daughter has always had a thing for bad boys and criminals," he groaned.

He shook his head, "I'm not a _bad_ guy, General. And I'm most certainly not a _criminal_."

The General smirked, "No? I haven't seen you answer for the property damage you caused during your run-in with that _purple_ freak. How about the damage you did to two of my _tanks_? Or _John Corben_?"

"I didn't mean to hurt-"

"And how about these adopted parents of yours? I read the article. The one were you explain that you've not only blatantly broken _every_ immigration law we have, but that two American citizens have _harbored_ you all this time? That means _they've_ broken the law too. Tell me, Mr. Superman... Who are they? What are their names?"

The look on his face got serious. Very serious. "That's not on the table."

"Nothing is _off_ the table!" the General shouted, standing up and slamming his hands into the metal table hard enough to make an echo through the containment cell. "Do you understand me?! If I ask you a question, you _will_ answer it, or I will put a bullet between your eyes this time! You almost _killed_ one of my best men, you attacked _my_ country!"

"I didn't mean for that to happen, I tried to let him walk away, but he wouldn't," he said firmly. "I didn't fight back until he tried to hurt a friend of mine. It's one thing to hurt me, it's another to hurt an innocent bystander."

"So you're admitting you're _not_ innocent?!" he screamed with a smirk.

Superman twisted his brow, "No, I'm not saying that. The person he tried to attack wasn't a part of the encounter."

"Collateral damage is part of the game, and my daughter knows that!" he growled. "And you don't know what Sergeant Corben planned to do, because you're not even _human_. You don't know _how_ a human being thinks."

"With all due respect, General, I know _exactly_ what your Sergeant was planning to do." They stared at each other heatedly, so Superman tried to calm things down, "I didn't mean to harm him. How is the Sergeant?"

A snarl twisted on his face as he sat back down with a thud, "Clinging onto dear life. That's how the hell he's _doing_. You can thank god that Lex Luthor was able to save him. You nearly _ended_ his life, and if you had, I wouldn't permit you to breath a second longer. You are _not_ an American citizen. You are _not_ a human being. You're lucky you're not in a hole in the ground."

"I didn't come here to fight, General."

"Then why _did_ you come here?" he growled. "You didn't seem interested in talking in Metropolis."

Superman let out a breath of exasperation, "I wasn't given the opportunity to speak in Metropolis. And if I could, I would have explained that I'm _not_ your enemy. I greatly respect the United States Military. I respect you, sir. I'm not looking to fight _any_ of you. Like you, all I want to do, is help keep the people of this country safe."

"But you don't protect just the people of _this_ country, do you? We have reports of you appearing all over the world. Who else are you working with? You stopped a train crash in North Korea. Are you aligned with _them_ as well?"

"Of course not," Superman shook his head. "I go where I'm needed. That's all."

"So if they _needed_ you to help wage war on the United States of America, you'd help them?"

He shook his head, "That's ridiculous. I'm not going to fight anyone's war for them."

The General narrowed his eyes, "So if the United States of America went to war, you _wouldn't_ fight along side us? You would let _innocent_ people die instead of helping the country you say is your _home_? You're making _conflicting_ statements now."

"I'm _not_ a weapon for anyone's war, General," he said firmly.

Before the General's snarl could deepen, alarms went off and he growled, "Now what the hell is this?!" He pulled out his side arm and pointed it at Superman, "If I find out you had something to do with this, I _will_ put you down this time."

"I assure you, I have nothing to do with whatever is going on, General. I came to talk _peacefully_."

"Right..." he scoffed.

The General pushed out the door, a faint clicking sound was picked up by Superman's ears. After a few moments, the door busted open and a man slammed the door behind him. A raggedy man in a flak jacket turned and looked at Superman with an intense glare. "I'm only going to ask this _one_ time... Who the hell's side are you on?"

Superman looked up at the man, wondering what in the world was going on. "Excuse me?"

The man sighed, "I don't have much time. I need to know if you mean all that _crap_ you've been spilling. Are you one of the good guys, or not? Because believe me, I will put you in a world of _hurt_ if you're not."

"I'm one of the good guys," he tried not to look too amused.

"I have a friend. You're the only person _fast_ enough and _strong_ enough to get in, help them, and get out. General Lane and his cronies at the Defense Council have a foreign national detained in this facility and I need _your_ help.

That ever-wanting-to-help frown set in, "Why would they do that?"

"The same reason you're here. They're _scared_. Now are you going to help me or what?"

"What about _cameras_?" Superman gave him a questioning look. "I'm sure a place like this has more than I can imagine."

He shook his head, "I have a friend that will take care of that."

"A friend?"

A sigh later, he sent Superman pointed look. "People like _you_ popping up all over? We needed a response team. They answer to me, off-the-record, and this is an off-the-record kind of job. _So_... are you in, or are you out?"

Superman nodded, and the man grinned and undid his handcuffs before putting his hand to his ear.

"Z, do that _backwards_ thing you do. Boston, try not to _jump_ someone serious. Frankie..." he paused as he considered his order, really hating that he had to babysit a Brit in a trench coat. "Don't let Johnny Boy wander."

Shaking his head and standing, Superman wanted to laugh, "Who are you people?"

"I'm Colonel Steve Trevor, and I'm with _A.R.G.U.S._"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Things are getting crazy! Who is this guy?! What is A.R.G.U.S.?! Who are they trying to save?! What is going on?! Or something like that. I got to introduce one of my favorite aspects of the New 52 in that final part of the chapter, and I can't wait to see what you guys think about it!

Shoot me some reviews! Let me know what you thought! Sorry for those that read KMorKM, I'm two weeks behind now! I feel so bad, but I've been crazy busy and the muse hasn't talked when I've had free time!


	34. Favors

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas- El**_ - Thanks! I have a feeling a lot of people are going to mention that, but it was really more about the scene in Secret Origin than it was from Man of Steel. It also ties into something a lot more important, which we'll see here! A.R.G.U.S. is one of my favorite parts of the New 52 as well as the Justice League Dark, so it's going to be fun having them on tap for stories in the future, even if they won't be big players here. More of a hint of things to come later on.

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! I'm a big A.R.G.U.S. fan, and I love the Justice League Dark, so they'll appear in the future, though they were more of a tease here.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I love Steve Trevor, and I especially love that he is like the Nick Fury of A.R.G.U.S. to Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. too, haha. And definitely, it's always important to showcase that sometimes, haha.

As far as I know, his relationship with Lois only took play during the actual Flashpoint event, where the world was in this insane state of flux and stuff, haha. For the most part, he's the guy who crashes on Paradise Island and ultimately brings the Amazons presence to the rest of the world's attention. He is usually a love interest of hers, but sometimes he is written to be quite a bit older, but this Steve is definitely going to be like the New 52 Steve, young and a total love interest for her.

Always a good guy, that Steve Trevor, haha. The General is definitely drinking Lex's koolaid, and it will definitely be coming up in the future as hopefully, the General gets a clue, haha. A.R.G.U.S. is definitely the godo guys though, though their members aren't always going to be as friendly as Steve is. They tend to get who they can, and sometimes that comes on a, "we won't put you in prison" kind of a way, haha. Oh, I'm missing writing her, so I'll try and fit her in soon! haha.

_**winthjo**_ - He's the Steve Trevor that crashed on Paradise Island, yes. The General is definitely drinking Lex's koolaid, and it's going to be a factor in the upcoming stories. Definitely on the next arc, at least.

_**Phillipe363**_ - I'm glad that you've liked it so far! Hopefully I can keep writing stuff you like!

_**Superfan2**_ - I'm glad that you like it so far, and I'll definitely be introducing some different aspects in the coming chapters as certain characters allow these changes to come forward. One key aspect to remember is that Clark hasn't been Superman for very long, so I'll definitely be showing him struggle at times as he hits a wall against certain characters. You brought up some very intriguing ideas, and I'll go ahead and say that one of those plays a big role in a future character, so be on the look-out for that. As for the cell, most definitely, Clark doesn't quite realize how _not_ easy things are going to be for him sometimes.

Kryptonite will be on the back burner for the most part outside of Metallo, because I'm just not a fan of the idea that it's all over the place. I'll definitely be looking at ways for him to be hurt or beaten outside of kryptonite, though with a character like Metallo, there's not a lot of ways around it and his background plays into one of the first issues of a Superman in the modern world that I wanted to address with the military and such. Post-Metallo, kryptonite will be few and far between.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #34, Favors

**Author's Note: **And I'm sure you want to know what happens next, so here we go!

* * *

"What is A.R.G.U.S.?"

Steve groaned and shook his head, "I told them this would happen with all these stupid acronyms. It stands for _Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans_. I know, it's a mouthful. We're an agency within the Government, trying to make this work with people like you before people like our dear General and his defense contacts from causing World War III."

He nodded, "I'd like to prevent that too. What do you need me to do, Colonel?"

"There is a maximum security wing in this compound," he explained, pulling up a holographic schematic for the facility with his wrist computer display. "You'll need to do this without alerting anyone to your _specific_ presence. I've got guys on making a _ruckus_ on the outside and my best girl has your back to keep the security feed from picking up your _biometrics_."

A small red dot scrolled through the building plans like a bullet, stopping at a large room at the center.

"Is this where I need to go?

"Yes. The center of the compound, and remember, you're a _ghost_."

A frown set in, and Steve could see he was suspicious. "Colonel, why would they hold a foreign national _against_ their will?"

Steve grumbled, "I told you, they're scared. You have _powers_ these days? You have a _target_ on your back. I work for these people, and our government, I know what you're thinking and I assure you, this _isn't_ a jailbreak. It's a _rescue_, and if we fail here, we're going to be up against a force that you don't even want to begin to imagine. Get to the center of the compound and get your target, or there's going to be _hell_ to pay. I mean that in most literal way. _Three-headed dogs_ and stuff."

"I take it the bite is worse than the bark," he offered, confused as ever.

"Just worry about _her_ right hook, I'll worry about that," he warned.

Superman's head shot up, "_Her?_"

It didn't take him long to find the correct x-ray signature for the person he was looking for. He was out of the room and blurring down the hallways so fast that neither the cameras nor the naked eye were going to catch him, regardless of Steve's friend that was watching his back. He was almost to the center of the compound when he had to pull out of super-speed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with a groan.

His friend, the Caped Crusader, stood over half a dozen unconscious guards, "Me? What are you doing here?"

"Wait, are you here with Trevor?"

"Steve Trevor? From A.R.G.U.S.? Don't tell me he has you working for him now," Batman gave him a stern look. "He is a good man, but working for him is like being a fish in a barrel in the middle of a room filled with guys with guns."

Superman shook his head, "I'm not working for him, I volunteered my surrender to the government. I wanted to show them that I wasn't out to cause trouble, which you're not helping with by the looks of these guys."

"You're an idiot."

He glared at him and snapped, "You don't always have to call me that, you know? I was trying to show them that I want to help, that I'm not their enemy. It's called mending fences."

"When you wake up in the morning, how do you shave?"

"I reflect my heat vision off the bathroom mirror, why?"

Batman turned and walked away, "And you think they're going to trust you? Idiot." He pulled out a monitor from his utility belt and led them down the hallway. "Cyborg has intel on a certain free agent we're interested in adding to the team."

"Does this have to do with someone named Diana?"

He stopped in his tracks, "What do you know about the Amazon?"

"Trevor broke me out of confinement to rescue her," he explained. "He said they've been keeping her captive because they think the Amazons might attack the country and they need to study her abilities."

"Amazons put ship to sea at dawn," Batman nodded. "I'm here to send her back. We're not ready for that."

He shook his head, "I can't believe they're holding her against her will."

Batman turned, "You know who pushed that agenda, don't you? Lex Luthor is on the Defense Council and General Lane is his favorite war-munger. I'm surprised I didn't see the Project 33.1 trucks backed up to the door."

"What do you know about Project 33.1?" asked Superman, his frown could have crushed cars.

"It didn't stop in Smallville, if that's what you're asking," he offered. "And don't tell me you didn't think that Parasite showing up in Metropolis was on accident. Luthor always has his experiments going somewhere."

He took on a serious look, "We have to find her. He'll dissect her and use her for spare parts. Hestarted 33.1 because he doesn't trust anyone or anything he doesn't know." He eyed Batman for a second. "Remind you of anyone."

"I have hair under the cowl."

A moment later, they reached the corner to the Maximum Security wing. Batman used a monitor built into the fingertips of his gloves to see around the corner, his eyes turning white a moment as the screens picked up a dozen guards and General Lane himself. He turned back and gave Superman the sign to stop.

"If this prisoner isn't here when I get back, I'm going to personally make sure you get thrown in a hole so deep, you'll never see the light of day again!" screamed the General. "This is not a test, you will shoot to kill, and you will keep anyone from getting into this room! I don't care if they've got a badge or a cape, no one enters this room, do you understand me?!"

The soldiers quickly chimed, "Sir, yes, sir!"

Batman turned to Superman, "You stay here."

"You can't be serious-"

"This doesn't work if they can identify you," he growled.

"You sound just like Trevor, I don't care, I can't stand here and let you-"

Batman pushed him slightly, catching him off guard enough to actually push him back a step. "That's because he knows this can't work without you. Trevor crashed on that island, he knows what we'd be up against if war broke out, that's the only reason he'd ever get you involved in this. This doesn't work without you, and this is so much bigger than that Amazon. If you get identified, you will cement our place in the history books as the aggressors and the villains."

He didn't want to cave, but he knew Batman was right. "But you can't take on twelve men by yourself."

And for the first time, Batman _chuckled_.

_**less than one minute later. . . .**_

"Are you sure you don't have powers?"

He pulled a batarang from the wall, "Cake walk."

A dozen soldiers slumped against the walls of the narrow hallway as they removed any evidence that Batman had been there as Superman listened to their heart beats to make there they were unconscious. He threw a ear-piece at Superman "Put this on." He nodded and did so, and Batman put his own hand to his ear, "You there?"

"Of course I'm here. I've been here the whole time. What took you so long? You move like _molasses_."

Superman tried not to snicker, "That's what I kept saying."

Silence came over the ear-piece, "Who was that?"

"It's Superman, do you have the security plans or not?" Batman asked with an eye roll.

"Like... From Metropolis?"

He pushed a hand to his ear, "It's me. I take it this is Cyborg?"

"...Superman knows my name..."

There was a russling over the headsets that sounded like static, but might have been the victory-dancing of a teenage boy who just realized that Superman knows of his existence on Planet Earth. "Cyborg!"

A screech set in, "Keep your utility belt on! I'm opening the door now."

"I don't know what to expect, but be ready. She's as strong as you are, and as trained as I am," warned Batman. "She is the most deadly person on the planet, and she's been a captive for weeks. Watch your back."

Superman nodded as the door clanked and clicked as the locks moved from within.

The security panel flittered back and forth from distortion, and the door began to slowing creak open. They could feel the shift in the air-pressure as fresh oxygen raced into the airtight room. Batman took point, slowly sliding through the door low to the ground and looking for attackers. Superman tried to x-ray the room, but could make out just one figure.

Chains echoed in the darkness, "Have you come for more?! I will defeat all of your champions!"

"Cyborg, lights."

Slowly the light panels began to flick on, revealing a woman chained to a wall with the kind of equiment you could have used on the Golden Gate Bridge. She looked up at them, eyeing them for a moment.

"What is the name of Hera are you two?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Looks like Wonder Woman has arrived onto the scene! It was definitely fun to write the Batman/Superman stuff here, but I gotta tell you, it's the Trinity stuff in the next chapter that I can't wait to write! Plus a little Cyborg cameo, and he got to fangirl all over the place? This one was fun to write, haha. But now it's time for you to tell me what _you_ thought! Shoot me some reviews and let me hear what you liked, what you didn't, all that jazz!


	35. Wondrous

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas- El**_ - Aquaman will appear soon enough, but this does set up a major theme moving forward, and it never hurts to get the trinity together. How Diana's presence in this world affects things that will happen in the future for Clark, is bigger than it may seem, but it is all part of the plan for me, haha. This won't be the last we hear about Themyscira.

_**MelsAFan**_ - Glad you're enjoying!

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - For me, Wonder Woman isn't as strong as Superman is, but she's far more skilled. I always thought of the Trinity being that Batman is the most skilled, and Superman is the most powerful, but Wonder Woman is the most dangerous of them because she has tremendous skill and tremendous power. I think she could beat either of them, but when push comes to shove and Superman pushes himself to his absolute limit power-wise, no one tops him. That's my feeling. But I guess I should mention, Superman will be depowered from the planet-pusher in this story. He'll be much closer to how he was on the Animated Series because it doesn't make sense for him to push planets, and then have his fellow Leaguers barely be able to lift cars. When you can push planets around, it's not even a contest. How can anything on Earth be a challenge for him when he can do that stuff? He's still the strongest, but he's not planet-pushing strong.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Oh, you can't replace Hawkman and Green Arrow, haha. At least Clark and Bruce like each other, haha. I think I'll always have a soft spot for Ollie and Carter's bromance, haha. I should write a Pink-K chapter for them, hahaha. I'm going to warn you, Wonder Woman leaves after this chapter, so it won't tie into the Lois side of things, but we'll definitely see how she feels about everything because this will make the front pages of the Planet!

_**HotChocolate**_ - I'm glad that you liked it! Jor-El and Lara definitely made the ultimate sacrifice for him, while the Kents make very different, yet very important sacrifices for him. Great parents all around. Lois definitely loosens his lips, doesn't she? haha. And yeah, Bruce is just one of those wild cards for ya, haha.

_**blaker316**_ - Thanks!

_**SuperFan2**_ - Superman's belief in people, will always be his downfall. That's what makes Lex his ultimate nemesis, because Lex has the opposite feelings about it, and a lot of the time, he's right about it. I will say, kryptonite will come up with Metallo like I said before, so don't feel like I'm letting you down, it's just the territory of the character. Once we get over that hump, I will definitely be introducing other things, and it will have impacts on Clark in new ways than before. I don't want to spoil any of it, but you'll definitely see him adjusting his game. Bruce, like Lex, assumes he'll have to stop Clark someday. He has to be in that mindset, because he can't afford be caught off guard like that. I definitely enjoy being able to take the story in new ways, and hopefully I'll be able to ramp up enough suspense that people will worry about him, because it could happen.

_**Guest**_ - Sorry it's hurting your noggin', haha. We get back down to the core cast after this one.

_**Katlynne**_ - You're such a goose, haha. Way too sweet to me!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #35, Wondrous

**Author's Note: **Just under the wire, but I got the chapter done, so here ya go! Enjoy!

* * *

"What in the name of _Hera_ are you two?"

They exchanged looks, and Superman looked at her with an apologetic smile, "I don't know who Hera is, but we're _friends_."

Her eyes darted between them quickly, "Or are you more _spies_? I will not betray my sisters! The people of Themyscira have no quarrel with Man's World, but if you do not free me, I cannot quell the thirst of war that will amass!"

"Easy, Princess," Batman dropped bluntly. "We're here to save you."

He pulled the heat-gun that Superman had seen him use on that Refrigerator Crook in Gotham. Focusing the heat onto her chains, she broke free easily. She then turned on him with a glare, raising her fist, "How dare you call me _princess_!"

Superman's hand shot up, grabbing her wrist in time to stop her from decapitating his friend. He took note of how he didn't manage to stop her swing dead, he just only stopped it in time. "That's _really_ not necessary."

She stopped and stared at them. She was impressed. "You are unlike the men that came before."

"Would we be dressed like _this_ if we weren't?" smiled Superman. "Steve Trevor sent us to free you. No one should be kept in a cage for being different. I can understand your anger, but not _all_ men are like this."

He sent Batman a sharp look, "I'm sorry I called you _Princess_," he muttered before shooting a look at Superman.

"One should not judge appearances when dressed like a _flying rat_," she glared.

Before he could say anything, Superman stepped between them. "I can hear the teeth _grinding_ form here, so let's just shake and make up. We've got to get you out of here because they realize what has happened."

"I can't let you help me with this from here."

He turned on Batman, "You can't make it out of here without me."

"I've got Cyborg, and she's got a mean right hook. It won't be surprising for her to want to break out, and they already think I'm a criminal. I broke the Commissioner Leob's jaw the other night. They tend to _frown_ on that."

"I'm not going to bail on you."

Batman grabbed his shoulder, "You need to show them we're not all bad. That's why I need you to be a light for the pubic, we can't do out jobs if the Government thinks we're _all_ criminals. I can take the heat. It's too late for me."

"You're _not_ a criminal."

He gave him one of those rare smiles, "I'm whatever the world _needs_ me to be. Now go."

Diana stepped forward, "I will look after your little friend."

"_Little?!_" Batman turned towards her.

"I can see that you two are going to get along wonderfully."

His super-hearing picked up on something on the otherside of the complex. "_I know that he is involved! Look in that cell! Get that door open! I want to see his face, I don't care what the cameras are showing! He's involved!_"

"I have to go," Superman said quickly.

Before they could react, he was blurring through the complex at speeds he wasn't even sure he could manage. As he skidded into the final hallway, he could see the General and several guards approaching his cell. He quickly flew through the door and handcuffed himself across the table from Colonel Steve Trevor.

As the door opened, Superman gave him a nod, confirming they had saved Diana.

The General stepped into the room, "I told you that he wasn't- _Wait_... How..."

"Something wrong, General?" he asked politely.

Fire erupted into his eyes as he watched the two of them smile. A voice came across his radio, "Sir, the Amazon is being aided by the Gotham vigilante. They're escaping through a wall to the west. No sign of Superman."

"Lose someone, sir?" Steve asked with a smirk.

Slamming the door behind him, the General growled, "You had something to do with this, didn't you?!"

Superman shook his head, "I've been here the entire time. Isn't that right, Colonel Trevor?"

"I wanted to keep an eye on him for you, sir," he nodded. "Besides, I had to know if it was all true. We had a bet going down in A.R.G.U.S. about this guy. Waller owes me fifty bucks. He knew _every_ card."

The General slapped the deck of cards out of Steve's hand. "Do you think this is _funny_, Trevor?! Do you think that I can't put the pieces together in front of me?! You never wanted that Amazon locked up in the first place! Suddenly, he shows up, and we've got a _jailbreak_ on our hands?! I don't know what you're playing at, but this is _treason_!"

"We've been here the entire time, General. Just ask your guards on the other side of the glass."

The guard came through the intercom, "We were here the whole time. The Colonel was showing him cards and Superman was guessing them. I don't know if you can call it guessing though. He's got x-ray vision, right?"

"Don't play games with me, Trevor!" shouted Lane as he slammed his hands into the table.

A voice chirped into the General's ear. "_Let him go._"

Lane stood up straight, placing his hand to his ear, "What did you say?!"

Lex Luthor watched from the penthouse suite of LexCorp Tower in Metropolis. "Let them go, General. Trevor's got this tied up nicely with a bow, but I just finished our little _project_, and it was a success. Let them go, and I'll give you Superman's head on a platter. This is going to be _far_ more entertaining than whatever you have planned."

After a few moments and a handful of threats, Lex watched as the General begrudgingly let Superman leave without any further questions. Before he left the room, the General turned and looked into the camera, and the fire was clear even though all the static. "_You better be right about this, Luthor, or it will be your head..._"

A smirk played across his face as he clicked the television off.

"What are you playing at, Son?"

His eyes rolled, "What now?"

Lionel sat down beside him on the sofa, grabbing the scotch from Lex's hand. "Why did you tell the General to let Clark go? I know that you know Clark left that room, so what is it that you're planning?

Lex grinned to himself. "You know, when I was in Smallville, I _noticed_ something."

"Yes?"

"I noticed it when Clark took on John Corben too."

A frown etched across Lionel's features, "What was it, Lex?"

"You always told me, Dad... If you can't _beat_ them, _join_ them. And if you can't _join_ them, just _kill_ them. And I think I've found my way to kill Clark. I just need to take it for a bit of a test-drive first. And if he lives, then I'll make my final offer."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Sorry it's a little late, but I needed to do a last edit before I could post it and I've had an insanely busy weekend! Batman and Wonder Woman are taking off for a while, so for those of you longing to get back to the main crew back in Metropolis, you'll have you wish. For those of you hungering for the Justice League, you'll have to wait a bit as things are going to be back to Metropolis for a good long while!

Anyways, let me know what you thought! Shoot me some reviews! And read on for the new Secret Origin chapter!


	36. Secret Origin: Contact

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #36, Secret Origin: Contact

**Author's Note:**

* * *

"You were the first to make _contact_ with them, is that correct?"

He leaned towards the microphone, "That's correct, sir."

"Take us through what happened when you made contact."

"Uh..."

Looks were shared amongst the Defense Council. "Excuse me, Colonel Trevor?"

He scrunched up his brow, "I'm just not sure how to put it all into _words_, sir."

"Start at the beginning. We'll catch up."

Steve tried hard not to chuckle, "Well, I was on-route to Turkey when I came across a fire-fight over the Aegean Sea. From what I gleaned from the friendlies, four birds came across restricted air-space and refused to land or respond."

"Was there any indication of their _affiliation_? Did these birds of flags on their tails?"

"No, sir. Though one did chirp over my com and called themselves '_Graves_'. A woman, sir."

One of the members coughed and took a drink of water, waving his hand to continue. Steve recognized him as one of the big contractors, but couldn't place his name. His bald head did look familiar though.

"Was it by chance one of the _Ferris_ planes? Don't they have a woman flying one of theirs?"

"No, sir. FerrisAir has clear indications of their affiliation. This was different tech, way beyond FerrisAir. She tagged me, and I lost one of my engines, and I was meaning to put her in the water. That's when the Island opened up to me. It came out of nowhere, a whole Island, twice the size of Gotham. There was nothing, and then there it was."

They exchanged looks amongst the panel. "Do you know what tech they were using? Did you find out if they were working with anyone else? The North Koreans? The Japanese? Do you know where they got the tech to hide an _entire_ island?"

"You're not going to like the answer, sir."

"What did they say?"

He cracked his neck and sighed, "They said the _Gods_ hid the Island, sir."

"God hid the Island?"

"No sir, _Gods_. As in plural. As in Zeus and Hercules and Poseidon, sir."

There was a murmur amongst the panel. They clearly did not like this statement. "That is ridiculous. Do you expect us to believe that the Greek Gods have anything to do with these people?"

"I don't, sir. I don't know what I believe, to tell you the truth. I wish I had a better answer for you. I really do. I crash landed on this island, only to find myself being hunted. It's like they _knew_ I was coming and they saved me. They're not like us. I'm sure of that. They're fast, strong, cunning, and can fight better than any soldier I've ever seen."

"You engaged in combat with them?"

Steve shook his head, "No, sir. Once they realized that I wasn't there to hurt them, they decided that they needed to send an ambassador to bring me back home. They held a _contest_ to see who would be most worthy. They were all incredible. You have no idea what they are capable of. I've never seen warriors like this before. They are _extremely_ skilled at combat."

"The one that brought you back, she is their _princess_?"

"Her mother is the elected leader of their people. She _wasn't_ supposed to compete, it's against the rules but she doesn't do well with rules, and I might have egged her on a little bit. Make no mistake, she _may_ be a princess, but she is _no_ damsel. She can fight, and she is their best warrior, whether they realize it or not. It wasn't a contest when she entered the ring."

The bald man finally spoke up, "You spent a great deal of time with her, did you not?"

"She brought me back home, if that's what you mean."

"Well, when we took her into custody, you two shared... a _moment_. A moment of concern for her well being. It was my impression that you _did not_ wish for us to take her into custody, was it not?"

He tensed up a bit, "She didn't do anything to deserve being taken into custody. My concern, was that you were about to put a foreign national under a microscope because she was different than you. That kind of thing can be... _misunderstood_."

"According to my report here, she engaged into multiple infractions, including the destruction of a law enforcement vehicle after some sort of _creature-feature_ in downtown Washington. I believe the report indicated that she believed that Hades had sent some sort of demon assassin to attack her? She also _attacked_ several officers at the scene."

"Only those that are ready to see it, can see it, sir," Steve answered with gritted teeth. "I tried to explain this to the officers at the scene. It's part of the _enchantment_. There _was_ an assassin, and she was defending innocent civilians."

The bald man looked him up and down in disbelief, "Right."

"Look, I know how this all sounds, and I'm sure that you think I'm crazy, but you haven't seen what I have. There is more at work here than you understand and just because you don't _want_ to believe, doesn't mean it's not real. There are things in this world that are _beyond_ what we can understand, and this island and it's people, are one of them."

"What this island and it's people _are_, are a group of hostiles that haven't attempted to reach out to the rest of the world for an unknown reason. They clearly have technology and weapons _well_ beyond our comprehension, and until we find out what they're intent is, we can only assume that they are a _danger_ to national security," the bald man explained.

Steve stood up from his chair, "They haven't reached out to the rest of the world because the last time that they did, they saw the _darkness_ in the heart of men. Putting her in a cell won't _help_ their view about that."

"Believe me, Colonel, I'm all too familiar with _feminists_, I run a multi-trillion dollar company out of Metropolis. I have met the illustrious Lois Lane, I am not afraid to displease her, and your friend has a lot of questions to answer before we can declare her or her people allies. Your _emotional entanglement_ only makes your testimony weaker than it already is."

With that, the Defense Council stood.

Fuming from his spot, Steve watched as the bald man wrapped his arm around the shoulders of the general on staff. When they left the chamber, he shot out of the room like a bullet and grabbed his phone from his pocket.

"Waller, get on the horn. I need _the Dark_ brought in immediately."

Her tone was harsh, "Do you really think that's wise, Steve? What are you going to do? Break your little girlfriend out?"

"Don't lecture me, Waller. I know what you've been doing out of Belle Reeve, and this is _so_ much bigger than that. Get the Dark together, that's an order. If these idiots want to start a fire, A.R.G.U.S. will put it out."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Little easter egg at the end for those of you paying attention, the ever wonderful Amanda Waller. She will come up in future chapters, you can count on that. But otherwise, just background for who Wonder Woman is in this continuity. What role Steve played and how the Defense Council perceives them. Cookies for anyone that caught the easter egg at the beginning of the chapter, haha. Excited to see who might have caught it!

Anyways, let me know what you thought! Shoot me some reviews, folks!


	37. New Assignment

**Review Comments:**

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - Thanks! It's always fun to drop little references to the other characters, ensuring that they exist in this little world and will appear eventually. I've dropped hints about him before, but he hasn't made a physical cameo yet. He might be showing up when Clark heads out West for a story though. That'll happen in the near future. Yeah, that's how I see the whole power thing going. She's definitely not more powerful than Clark, but she is better trained than he is.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - Mercy Graves is normally Lex's body guard, that's all I can say, haha. Lex has a lot of contracts with the Government, and that's bought his way onto the Defense Council and he definitely likes being there. Puts him in the middle of everything that's going on, exactly like he likes. Amanda is a tricky one, but she works close with Steve, so I'm sure that she will appear again at some point. Lois is back in this one, and you're gunna love it! haha.

_**Jas- El**_ - It was fun to write the Trinity again, since I usually only get to write them over on KMorKM. Bruce definitely knows what role Clark could have in this, and it'll be tough for Clark to live up to it. Bruce has his plans, but Clark will probably be a disappointment to him from time to time, but in the end, he will be what Bruce hopes Clark can be. Lionel is a mystery at the moment. He is dead as far as the rest of the world knows, but he appears to Lex. He may or may not be dead. Even Lex doesn't know. They talked about it towards the beginning of the story after Clark revealed himself.

I wanted to have a more modern "_how the Amazons' presence affects the world_" angle, and I think this is a lot like how it would be. Lex definitely isn't helping make things diplomatic, but he also has to view them as a threat. The Amazons have a ton of power behind them, and he'll wanna take them out before they can take us out.

_**Blaker316**_ - The Secret Origin chapters usually are, but here's a long one for you!

_**Katlynne**_ - You're such a goose!

_**JamesTKent**_ - I'm glad that you like!

_**crazykrew**_ - Thanks! Here is some more! haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #37, New Assignment

**Author's Note: **Sorry this one is two days late! Been crazy busy and didn't finish the chapter in time!

* * *

"Why the hell do you keep _smiling_ like that?"

Clark looked up from his laptop, trying to conceal a smirk and failing. "What?"

She narrowed her eyes, dropping her feet off the table of the conference room with a thud. "Ever since you came back from Smallville, you've been smiling like a dope. I know Momma Kent can cook, but I'm gunna start thinking you got _lucky_ with that high school sweetheart of yours. What was her name? _Llama_?"

"Jealous, Lois?" he smirked.

"In your dreams, Smallville," she rolled her eyes dramatically.

Truth be told, he couldn't stop smiling because he had a good couple of days. First, he made a new friend. A friend that he didn't have to hide his secret from. Then Lois gave him a pep talk, even if she didn't know. And then he made a friend that worked for the Government, which let him know that it wasn't everyone that wanted to him gone. That felt good.

"In _my_ dreams, you just sit there in _silence_ and look _pretty_," he wagged his head.

"So you think I'm _pretty_, do ya?" she bantered back.

Before they could say anything else, there was a thud across the table. "How can you two _flirt_ at a time like this?!"

"_We weren't flirting,_" they said in unison.

Jimmy rolled his eyes, "The Chief called us in here for a _reason_. And no offense, Miss Lane, but you're _always_ getting into trouble and what if he's mad that I let you stand on my shoulders to hop the fence at LexCorp that one time? I mean, they are always tying to _sue_ us, maybe he found out about it... What if he _fires_ us?"

"Relax, Jimmy," she said cooly. "He probably just wants us to team up for a story."

He sat up straightly, "I go by _Jim_ now, Miss Lane. Jimmy is a _kid's_ name."

She quirked an eyebrow and shot Clark an amused look, "Is that what Smallville calls you?"

He puffed out his chest, "You bet."

"That's adorable," she smirked without missing a beat. "_Jimmy_."

The door flew open and in stomped Perry White. "Superman has a showdown with a soldiers in downtown Metropolis, and I've got _no_ pictures," he glared at Jimmy. "_No_ human interest piece," he glared at Clark. "And I've got a story I _can't_ print because you call your own father, a _decorated_ general, a colossal _ass-hat_ twenty three times. Explain."

"Someone _knocked_ the camera out of my hands..."

"I had a _busy_ night last night..."

"He _was_ being a colossal ass-hat..."

Perry threw his arms into the air, "Enough! Olsen, where was your back-up? Kent, make it up by getting a line on a jailbreak in Washington. Lane, old veterans are half of the people still reading newspapers, try _not_ to insult their brothers in arms."

"Wait, why does _he_ get the Washington story?"

"Because you've effectively _pissed off_ everyone involved, and at least Kent here knows how to exchange pleasantries without getting themselves put on the no-fly list for six months," Perry snapped.

Clark snickered and whispered under his breath, "It's that _charming_ personality."

He looked up to see the glare that she had fixed on him, and the accompanying mischievous spark in her eye. He knew he was about to pay for that little comment. "Chief, don't you think it's _unprofessional_ to wear a baseball cap in the office? And don't you think the boys from Washington will think so too? I'm just saying."

Perry turned to eye a now nervous Clark Kent, "Does it piss you off, Lane?"

"It _irks_ me," she smirked after a second.

"Then you have my utmost blessing to wear it, Kent."

His head shot up before turning to smirk at Lois, whom was shocked and appalled. "What the hell, Chief?!"

"You two write better when you're pissed- I mean, _irked_, with one another," he waved his hand to stop her. "Save it for the story, Lane. Kent, savor this and lose the hat _before_ you meet the brass from Washington. They're in Metropolis to check on the condition of that Corben guy from the Superman incident and for some reason, they're actually going to let us hear what they have to say about this jailbreak business. I want Pulitzer winners from both of you. Now go!"

Perry stormed off and left them to collect their things.

"I'll go with you, CK," offered Jimmy. "I need to get back in Mr. White's good graces."

Clark nodded, "I'd like that, Jim."

She got up and bumped into Clark with her shoulder, "That's for _stealing_ my story, Smallville. And seriously? Could you two make a more adorably innocent dream team?" she smirked as they stood next to one another.

Clark pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Jimmy's hand slid to his neck. "Bow ties are _cool_, Ms. Lane."

She muffled a laugh, "You're the coolest, Jimmy, _no doubt_." She flung out some fake gang signs.

"Who's cool now, Lane?" Clark smirked.

Lois pushed past him and knocked off his hat, "Still _me_, Smallville."

The ride to Hobb's Ferry Naval Base on the back of Jimmy's scooter was nothing less than terrifying. Even for Clark. He wasn't quite sure if it was a concern for Jimmy, the other vehicles, and the pedestrians, or because he was actually scared for his own life. Either way, they had to stop at his apartment and grab a less sweat-spotted dress shirt.

When they arrived at the base, the General took his ragged look for nervousness. "This your _first_ time, Son?"

"Uh... No, sir. It's just very _humid_ today," Clark bumbled nervously. He couldn't have cared less about how he looked. In fact, the worse he looked, the better. This was far from his first time meeting General Sam Lane, and he wanted nothing more for his first impression to come off nervous, bumbling, ragged, and all things un-Superman.

"Well look, I'm only giving you this interview because I don't need the American people thinking we let criminals _escape_ from a maximum security prison, and thanks to your liberal media, the public takes statements as cover-ups."

Jimmy coughed, "_Is_ this a cover-up?"

The General's eyes burned through him, "_No_. This is _not_. This is a simple _misunderstanding_."

"So you _didn't_ have a foreign national detained against their will, whom later _escaped_?" Clark asked. The General turned on him, causing him to gulp quickly and push his glasses back up his nose. "Uh... General, sir."

"Where would you hear a _laugher_ like that, Kent?"

His eyes shifted nervously, "I got a tip from a source in Washington. I heard _the Batman_ was involved, sir."

Lane's eyes clenched up tightly, and Clark could hear his teeth grinding. "Let me say this nice and clear for you, Son... There were _no_ costumes freaks. There was _no_ foreign national. It a _training_ excercise, that looked just a little too convincing for some loud mouth with a Q-Pad. The training exercise was to prepare for the extremely unlikely event of a jailbreak."

"But the source claimed they saw the same jet that the Batman has used in Gotham," offered Jimmy.

"Believe me..." he growled. "When I put someone in a cell, they never see the light of day again. Perhaps you'd like to keep questioning me and find out for yourself? I'm sure you've broken a law or two, running around with _my_ daughter."

Clark's head shot up with a glare, "Perhaps breaking the law runs in the _family_ then."

He knew the moment the General's eyes nearly popped out of his head, that he had gone too far. He would have mentally yelled at himself for losing his cool if the General hadn't pushed him against the way. "How _dare_ you disrespect _me_!"

"_Sam_! Sam!"

A voice echoed down the hallway, but only Jimmy turned to see who it was as the General and Clark kept eyes locked.

The black leather glove curled around the General's shoulder, and Clark didn't even have to look from it to know who had come to his rescue. "Come on, Sam," he laughed. "I'm sure Mr. Kent wasn't _insinuating_ anything, were you, Clark?"

"Of course not... Lex," Clark muttered through gritted teeth.

Lane stepped back, but never took his eyes off Clark's. "_First_ names. You two know each other?"

"Ah, we're old friends," Lex grinned. "Hell of a reporter, this one. Now why don't you three come with me? I've been asked to show you just how impossible it would have been for a jailbreak at a facility like the one in Washington."

"Why?" Clark asked bluntly. "Did you design _another_ prison?"

Lex smirked, "Don't worry, Clark. You don't look all that _dangerous_ to me."

They stared at each other for a few moments before Lex turned to lead the way. He led them through a few different halls to a central location within the facility. Clark immediately recognized it was being of the same design as the one that Diana had been contained in. Lex spun on his heel, "You'll have to pass a security check before you can come inside, of course."

Two guards stepped forward. The General nodded, "You will each have to leave your belongings on the outside, including your cell phones and electronic devices. Follow these two to a private room where you can change clothes."

"We have to change our _clothes_?" Jimmy asked. "Whats with that?"

"It's best that we know that you aren't _hiding_ anything, Mr. Olsen," Lex offered.

Clark's jaw tightened. "Does the same go for you?"

"Luckily, I have high enough clearance to wear something a little more _fashionable_ than a t-shirt and sweatpants. Sorry, I'm not sure they have a _flannel_ option though, Clark," he bantered back with ease.

They each received a guard who led them to separate rooms. Clark stepped into his and found a clear tub with a "belongings" label on it, a pair of orange sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He felt like he was being put in prison. The door closed behind him and he saw that the guard had joined him, staring directly at him for some reason.

"Uh... I probably need to change, so..." he offered awkwardly.

The guard's head tilted, but made no other movement to leave.

Awkwardness filled the room as he stared for few seconds, but the guard made no sign of leaving. He couldn't help but notice during the staring that the eyes looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place that mustache. It was even worse than Steve Lombard's. He narrowed his eyes a bit more, and the eye-roll he immediately received hit him like a sack of potatoes.

"Wait-" he jumped back. "_Lois?!_"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? haha. Sorry it was a little late, I just needed to write a little more at the end here before I could post it and I just couldn't find the time to sit down and do it this last week. Clark's back under the General's eye, but this time, it's as Clark Kent instead of Superman. Lex is involved, of course. And now Lois is running around with a fake mustache on? Can't wait to hear what you guys think about this one! haha.

Shoot me some reviews! I'm back on schedule, so look for the next one on Sunday!


	38. Brooms and Foxes

**Review Comments:**

_**blaker316**_ - Thanks!

_**Jas- El**_ - I've had that Perry/Lois/Clark interaction in my notes for a while, haha. It's one of my favorite bits, and it really kind of shows off what I love about the three of them in a room. I just picture Jimmy like Holowitz on Big Bang Theory, running around on his little scooter, thinking it's big and bad, haha. One of my favorite things about Lois is her bad disguises, so it was only natural to give her something equally cheesy in this one, haha. Glad you liked it.

_**Graysongirl1**_ - Meh, who doesn't love some cheese? haha.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I missed her too, haha. And don't worry, there will be some sparks in the very near future, haha. Lois is not about to let Clark get all the glory here, haha, and that carries over into this one. She's definitely got her ninja skills in full effect, and whether or not Sam notices that it's here will remain to be seen! haha. Lex definitely has an agenda here, and I'm excited to see what you think about what goes down in this chapter!

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #38, Brooms and Foxes

**Author's Note: **Well, time for some more Flashpoint! Enjoy!

* * *

"Lois!" he whispered harshly. "What are you doing?!"

She made a shushing motion, "What do you _think_ I'm doing?! I'm getting the scoop! I'm not going to let you waltz in here and dethrone me. I'm _the_ scoop queen. They wanted to use my likeness at Baskin Robbins!"

"Was that _all_ you could come up with?"

"I'm under pressure!"

He rolled his eyes, "Why are you wearing a fake mustache? That's not going to fool anyone!"

Lois snorted, "You're one to talk, _Glasses_."

"What?" he tensed up a bit.

"Oh, don't start with me, Smallville. I've been to your house now, I know the _truth_," she whispered as she peeked out the door. "The jig is up, you can't fool me anymore. I know _why_ you wear those glasses."

He swallowed deeply, and inwardly starting to prepare his speech about how he was still Clark even though she knew that he was an alien from out space who occasionally dressed up in costume to be a super-hero. Or something like that.

"You want people to _think_ you're a dork, which you are, so we'll let you _cobra_ us."

"Look- Wait, what?"

She turned and poked him in the chest, "You heard me. I saw all your little awards and ribbons your mom has out, you're all smart and crap, aren't you? You're trying to snake into _my_ territory and cobra my ass. Not on my watch, Smallville."

"I'm not trying to-" he tried to remember the word, "-_cobra_ anything!"

"Whatever," she pushed him against the wall, making a loud sound. "I'm watching you!"

Sounds came from outside as the door swung open, "Hey! What is going on in there?!"

Lois grunted and deepened her voice, "Uh..." She quickly grabbed a broom that was leaned against the wall. "Like I was saying," she grunted in a deep voice. "_This_ is how you sweep the floor, uh... _Maggot_..."

"What?" he asked in confusion, a look he shared with the soldier in the doorway.

She elbowed him in the gut before grunting in her deep voice, "For cleaning! Maggot!"

"Uh... Right... For _cleaning_. I'm very... _messy_. She- I mean, _he_, was just showing me how to... _broom_..."

The soldier stared at them in confusion before having a moment of realization. "Oh... _Right_... Well... Understood. Next time just put a _hat_ on the door or something, fellas..." He closed the door awkwardly.

Lois closed her eyes as her mouth dropped open, "Ew! He thinks I would have... With... _Ew_!"

"Because _that_ was the shocking part about what just happened," Clark rolled his eyes. He peeked out the door and saw that the coast was clear, "Come on, we've gotta get out of here before someone comes."

"I could _totally_ do better than you!" she whispered harshly.

He turned and glared, "It could have been worse! You could have been with Jimmy!"

"The horror," she groaned. "The _freckle covered_ horror..."

Clark rolled his eyes, "Let's get out of here before they come looking for us."

They quickly scampered out of the room and back towards where they had left Lex and the General. Jimmy had already got changed and beat them there. Lois quickly turned around to avoid her father's gaze.

"What took you so long?" Jimmy asked.

He gulped a bit, "Uh... I had to take a call from Lois." Her head shot up. "She wanted to get my advice about a story because she _respects_ my writing and intelligence so much. She doesn't admit it, but she _really_ looks up to me."

Lois elbowed him hard and glared, "Eyes forward, Maggot!"

The General frowned, "At ease, Soldier. We're moving along well enough."

"Uh... Sir, yes, sir!"

He started to lead them down to towards the platform at the center of the room. "A facility like this one was designed for the containment of super-powered individuals who propose a _threat_ to national security and the public at large."

"And _who_ gets to decide who is a threat and who isn't?" Clark asked.

General Lane narrowed his eyes, "I do."

"And what exactly _qualifies_ you to be the people who gets to decide that? Do you know anyone that actually has abilities? I mean besides the people you shoot first at," Clark added with a bit of a smirk.

A chuckle came from behind the General, "I believe what Clark is _trying_ to say, is what conditions would we take in a threat and it is a good question. At the time being, this would be strictly a tier one threat, obviously. Someone that is actively causing a panic and a threat to innocent people. It would be a circumstance of national security," offered Lex.

"As I was saying," the General glared. "_This_ facility..."

He continued on, and both Jimmy and Clark made to follow him, but Lex held his arm out to hold him back while the rest followed the General. Clark looked at him with a questioning gaze, but he didn't move a muscle.

Lex turned and spoke quietly, "Don't you see what I'm trying to do here, Clark?"

"It looks like you're making _cages_ for people with abilities."

"You were never a fan of the killing option," he said cooly.

He turned with a glare, "Who says you need to put people who are different in cages in the first place?"

That familiar smile set in Lex's face. The one that Clark knew came before a speech. "Remember back on the farm when that fox kept getting into the chicken coop? And it kept killing the chickens?" Clark remembered it well. "Your father tried to build a better fence, tried to scare it off, but it just kept coming. How many did you have left by the last time? Five? Six? What was your dad supposed to do, Clark? Let it kill them all? No. He killed it. We watched him shoot it."

Clark went steely. "What's your point, Lex?"

"_They're_ the fox, Clark. Superman is-"

"Superman _isn't_ going to kill anyone."

Lex grinned to himself, "I know that. But they're not all like Superman, are they? Even you know that. Think about who he would be without his _morals_. You've seen what he can do, haven't you?" he gave Clark a knowing smile that sent shivers down his spine. "What if he didn't have those? He'd be the most dangerous person on the planet."

The thought wasn't foreign to Clark.

"You know that there are _others_ out there like him. Just as strong, maybe stronger. What are we supposed to do? Let them run wild? I know you would never approve of just killing them. You're too good for that. So I made a prison where we could contain them. How do you not see how good that is? I did this with _your_ voice in my head, Clark."

"I would have never told you to play judge and jury, Lex. I've seen what you've done. I know what really happened in DC. It doesn't matter what story you have to sell. I know you held someone just because they had abilities."

He smirked, "The difference between your father's story and mine, is that I'm not going to let anyone die while hoping that an animal will go against it's nature. I see a threat, I neutralize. That fox was only doing what was in it's nature. You know what people are capable of. You know what they would do with those abilities. It's a ticking time bomb."

Clark glared, getting close to Lex with a harsh whisper, "I know what people are capable of because I've seen the things that _you've_ done. Things like _this_. Stop dragging them down to your level. They're _better_ than you."

"Are we interrupting?"

They turned to see General Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and a disguised Lois Lane watching. It was in this moment that they both realized that they were chest to chest with steam coming out of their ears. Clark had to wiggle his nose to signal Lois that her mustache was falling off. He quickly stepped back and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Uh, of course not, sir," Clark stammered.

Lex grinned, "We were simply discussing the finer points of the glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty notion."

General Lane narrowed his eyes, but Jimmy Olsen spoke up first, "Isn't it always full? I mean, yeah, it's only got so much water in it, but the rest of it is full of _air_, right? So, isn't the glass _always_ full then?"

"I suppose you're right, Jim," Clark smiled. "Room for both."

An eye roll from Lex moved things along, "I don't think we're here to talk about _philosophy_, are we? No, I think we should go ahead and take a look at what I'm here to show you. How impossible it would have been to escape a facility like this."

The General led them towards the center of the room. "You two wait here."

Clark narrowed his eyes as the General and Lex retreated to the monitors. Jimmy glanced over with an eyebrow raised, but didn't say a peep. Clark frowned, "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"Our cells are designed to scan it's inhabitants and devise a way to best contain them. They've been prepped to increase the density of their material to oppose enhanced strength, we had to create vibration waves to keep someone from phasing out of the cell itself," Lex explained. "But you two should have no problems, right?"

Glass panels dropped beside them, and quickly Clark and Jimmy found themselves contained inside. Jimmy immediately hit the glass, testing it out in a fit of glee, while Clark watched Lex intently.

"I mean, if you don't _have_ super-powers, it's shouldn't even activate," Lex grinned.

As a light green tint came across the ceiling, Clark grew pale and nodded. "_Right..._"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? This one was a lot of fun to write, and I'm hoping you guys had fun reading it. I have been hungering for some Lois and Lex action, and I feel like we got a nice dose in this one. Clearly, things are just getting heated up though! haha. What will happen to poor Clark? Does this machine know who he is? That he is Superman and kryptonian? I guess you'll have to show up on Sunday and find out!

In the mean time, shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! Until next time!


	39. Caged

**Review Comments:**

_**blaker316**_ - Thanks!

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - Thanks! I had a lot of fun writing them all!

_**winthjo**_ - Nope, she stayed where Lex and the General were.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - You'll have to read on to find out what that green tint was! haha. The clothes changing thing comes from the movies I remember as a kid where they made them wear special clothes to go into the prison and stuff, haha. Lois definitely gets to have a few words in this one, so I think you'll enjoy! Plus the next one is all Lois and Clark! haha.

_**Guest**_ - Shocking for a story written by me, huh? haha. We'll get to it in good time!

_**Jas- El**_ - Thanks! It was a fun little bit to have that exchange with the soldier, haha. Clark is definitely going to be in a bad spot if it's what everyone thinks it is, and if the reason is the reason everyone thinks it is, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #39, Caged

**Author's Note: **It's sunday! That means more Flashpoint!

* * *

He closed his eyes.

The feeling was familiar. He knew what was happening. And he knew what was about to happen. He'd fall to the ground in agony. It would feel like the air was being vacuumed from his lungs. He remembered how Pete Ross ran to his side when he was a kid. He wondered which one would run to his side now. Jimmy was closest. Maybe Lois? Not Lex.

Lex knew. He had to know. Was this all some elaborate plan? Did he orchestrate this all just to get him in a cell? How far did it all go back? Was he behind the General offering to give them this interview? Did Lex plan the jailbreak?

He opened his eyes.

That smirk. That knowing smirk. His eyes were on Clark. Watching him ever so closely. They shared a moment, and it was a moment that could have been seconds, it could have been days. They were having a whole conversation with their eyes.

And then it stopped.

"Ah, see now? That wasn't _too_ bad?" Lex grinned. "No powers. No problem."

That green tint was gone. The glass panels lifted from around them. Clark immediately felt the air come back into his lungs and he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. No one had even seemed to notice. No one but Lex, anyways.

"Everything ok, Clark?" Lex grinned.

He nodded, tried not to show his hand, "Just a little startling is all."

General Lane nodded, "You don't know the half of it. Those walls are made out of the strong materials on earth. And if you had powers, you would have been _cowering_ in the corner like a little girl when the defense grid kicked in."

"Funny..." a voice came from behind, "_This_ little girl wasn't that impressed."

They turned to see Lois throw off her hat and jacket, letting her hair falling down her back. "Son of a-" she groaned as she ripped off her mustache. She promptly threw it at Lex before turning to her father. "Hello, Daddy."

"Lois!" he growled. "This is a _maximum_ security facility!"

"And clearly, if I can break into this twisted bondage fantasy you and Dr. Evil have built, the Batman could probably break in and rescue some foreign national hostage," she put her hands on her hips and glared.

He shook with anger, "You are _lucky_ you are my daughter, dammit..."

"Really? I don't feel lucky after seeing what you've been spending my tax dollars on."

Clark stepped between them quickly, "I really think we should all just calm down-"

"Don't tell me to calm down, you four-eyed brat," he growled. "I should lock up all three of you. This is exactly why I didn't want to speak to you damn liberal media people in the first place. Lois, _you_ should know better than this!"

"And you should know better than to try and weasel me out of something this big!"

He narrowed his eyes, "I left you out of this because I know you've got a _personal_ vendetta against me, blinding you from seeing that we are trying to make the world a better place! And we can't all run around in little capes and spout off idealistic crap to do it! Don't you see that? His crap is just _lulling_ the world into thinking it's safe, while they're letting these freaks run wild. Hell, the only reason that freak talks to you is because you can _spin_ away his crimes for him!"

She got very close to him, "You're not _half_ the man that he is."

You could almost see the steam coming out of General Lane's ears. "I want them out of this facility right now."

"But Sam, we haven't finished-"

"I said _now_, Luthor!"

Lex sighed and shook his head. He waved for a couple of guards, "Take these three back where they came." He looked up at Clark for a moment, "I'm sure that _we'll_ catch up sooner or later, won't we?"

"Try not to give me a reason to," Clark gritted through his teeth.

He smirked, "Where's the fun in that? Hope you liked my show, Clark."

Before Clark could say another word, a guard grabbed his arm and they led three of them away. Lois reached a hand up as she tried not to let her father see the tear fall out of her eye. She looked up and noticed that Clark saw her.

"Save it, Smallville. This _isn't_ over. I'm not letting them win that easy"

He gave her a small smile, "Rule number one, Lane, you're the _Top Banana_."

"That's my boy," she smiled and ruffled his hair as they walked out of the prison area.

Lex walked over to the General and sighed, "You know that you just _gave_ them a bone, right? They're not going to let this go and you just ensured that they are going to dig more into this. You know that, don't you?"

"And you think showing them this place was going to _fix_ things? Did you really think they were going to buy your '_no one can escape my technological Alcatraz_' crap, Luthor? They were never going to let this go."

"Then why did you agree to it, Sam?"

General Lane gritted his teeth, "Because you asked me to, and now that I've tried things your way, and you see that they _failed_, we are going to do things my way from now on. I'm going to take care of this Superman problem once and for all."

Lex narrowed his eyes, "And what exactly are you planning on doing?"

"I'm ending this. Activate _him_."

"I still have to fine tune-"

He raised his hand, "Do what you have to. I want Metallo to _crush_ that little ant, I want Superman dead."

It took hours of work, but he finally felt like it was ready. He had to call him an "it" because he wasn't really sure how much was left of John Corben. General Lane's stray bullet had disrupted the power source inside, and it shattered throughout his chest like shrapnel. By the time they had cleaned it all out, LexCorp practically built him a whole new chest cavity.

The enhancements to his limbs were the General's idea. Figured if Corben was going to go up against the Man of Steel, he'd need fists of steel. The cybernetics increased the strength of his legs, making him faster and able to lift more.

"To think, they used to think it only cost _six million dollars_," snickered Lex.

"I hardly think Lee Majors would approve of what you've done here, Son."

He closed his eyes slowly, "Not this again."

Lionel stepped out of the darkness. "You have _robbed_ this man of everything it means to be human, Lex. He doesn't even have a heart anymore. You carved it out and replaced it with that _green rock_."

"His body runs on the energy that radiates off of this rock," Lex gritted his teeth.

"Is that it's only purpose here?" he asked knowingly.

He rubbed his brow, "Excuse me?"

"Was that not why you put Clark in that cell? To _test_ him?" Lionel questioned. "You turned it off before anyone else could see that it was hurting him, but you knew that it was going to beforehand. Were you testing it's affect on Clark, or where you trying to show him that you know his secret? Surely he must know _now_."

Lex tried to suppress a chuckle. "Clark has always known. He just can't admit it to himself, because then his fantasy of my hatred of _them_ would go out the window. I needed to know how _much_ radiation he could take. It's all part of the plan."

"What _are_ you planning, Lex?"

He ran his finger across the housing in Corben's chest. "This was always part of something bigger. Metallo is just a _small_ part of the _bigger_ picture. You didn't think I'd work out the kinks on myself, do you? I'd like something a little less _permanent_."

"Are you planning on making a suit for yourself? Are you really going to try and fight him?"

"Only if _he_ tries to fight me."

Lionel shook his head slowly, "When Clark sees what you've done to this young man, how can you expect him _not_ to want to fight you, Son? This is _exactly_ what he was scared you would do. You've turned this man into a weapon. And now that fool of a general is going to point and pull the trigger. Are you prepared for those consequences, Lex?"

"I put Clark in that cell as a _warning_. He knows what I'm capable of now. If he beats Metallo, Lane will see that we need him on our side. And I'll have my opening to recruit him, because he'll know I can _kill_ him if he doesn't join us."

"And if he doesn't defeat Metallo?"

He smirked, "Then I guess I have been over-estimating Clark."

"And what happens when he does, and he comes looking for you, but not to be friends?"

Lex's smirk only grew. "Then I guess he'll have to see the upgrades I've made to _my_ suit."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Bet that didn't go how you were thinking! haha. What did you think? Looks like Lex's plans were even more devious than some of you were thinking! And Lois finally ripped off the mustache, and we've gotten an update about Corben and what they're all planning! Can't wait to hear what you guys thought!

Next time out will be all Lois and Clark, and I know that a lot of you are hungry for some Clois action, so I guess you'll have to tune in next sunday and find out what the dynamic duo get up to! Shoot me some reviews!


	40. Stress Therapy

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas- El**_ - I know some people were expecting a full blown kryptonite scene, but I thought that this was so much more Lex to me, and I'm glad that people have still liked it. It just seemed so much more sinister. General Lane represents a kind of ideal to me and I feel like he represents the fear people would have if someone like Superman did exist. He's kind of the head of the "Flat Earth" society, unwilling to budge from how he sees things, thinks about things. It's funny that you mention Lucy because she gets mentioned in this one. Not sure when/if she will appear yet though.

_**blaker316**_ - Thanks!

_**Mr. Wartburg**_ - I'll definitely be doing something different than how they did in Smallville, but something also updated from what they did in the comics. I'm excited for when it all gets revealed.

_**Superfan2**_ - There's a reason why I don't think of Lex as a villain exactly, and he will be a constant facet of who Clark is as Superman whether Clark wants to admit it or not. How things turn out in the end will be different, because Lex will be there to constantly shake him to his core, and it will change who Clark is. The exciting thing is, how does it change him?

_**Guest #1**_ - I love Lex too, and I will just say this, there are going to be some people who don't like how things go down with Lex from time to time. He isn't a one and done villain, he is a main character, and a constant clashing point in Clark's life.

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - You're going to have to read it to find out! haha. Lex has a card up his sleeve, and now that it's out on the table, it's only a matter of time before these two clash in the physical arena. I love Lois for all those reasons you just said and I'm very excited to unfold the next part of this story, because she's not done by a long shot, haha.

Writing Lionel and Lex is great, and it's really started to become a Dexter/Harry relationship like on Dexter. In some ways, I think Lionel represents the better side of Lex that is still there. At least that's how I like to write him. He's that other voice in his head, the side that Clark wishes Lex still was. Sam's going to be a complicated character, but I will say this, he won't always be on Lex's side, haha. That's the only hint that I can give you! hahaha.

_**LexRules**_ - Metallo will definitely have the ability to hurt Clark in a very big, very bad way, so only time will tell whether or not Clark can find a way to beat him. Lex sees Metallo as a prototype for himself, he's not going to make Metallo some easy pushover. This will definitely be his biggest fight yet, and it will take more than his powers.

_**cathy03**_ - I'm glad that you liked them! He wasn't going to reveal that he knows without a plan! haha. It was a nice break to write some Clois, and I think you'll all really like how this one plays out, haha.

_**Guest #2**_ - He wouldn't reveal that he knows without a plan to take on Clark if he came for him, haha.

_**Lilbit4**_ - They're definitely not going to get away scotch free, I promise that, haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #40, Stress Therapy

**Author's Note: **Well, I promised a full Lois and Clark chapter, and I'm anxious to hear your thoughts! haha. Enjoy!

* * *

He ducked slightly to avoid the objects currently whizzing around the break room.

"Is this making you feel better?"

She froze and started at him, blowing the hair out of her face. "A _little_. What of it, Smallville?"

Clark shook his head slowly, "Just asking. Carry on."

Flipping a chair over and pushing the newspapers off the little table they ate lunch on, she groaned. "He is such an idiot! How do you _trust_ Lex Luthor?! That face was built for tabloid covers! Only an _idiot_ would stand on his side!" Lois noticed how Clark raised his eyebrow. "I know you used to be his friend, but _yes offense_. You were an idiot."

"That I was," he smiled.

It was in this moment that Cat Grant walked into the break room, causing Lois to scream, "Wrong room, Cougar!"

Cat twisted up her face in a snarl, "I'm not even _thirty_!"

"Ha!" Lois laughed cooly. "You might want to pay your Botox guy a little _more_ if you want me to believe that!"

She narrowed her eyes and huffed, "You might want to _get_ a Botox guy. You look tired, Lois."

Lois immediately charged at her, but Clark caught her with an arm around the waist, lifting her off her feet. "You better go, I think she might actually kill you this time, Ms. Grant," he smiled apologetically.

"You're too sweet for her, _Clarkie_," Cat flirted before leaving.

He spun a little and Lois shouted after her, "You better run! You _need_ the workout!"

Clark set her down and gave her an amused look, "That was mean, you know?"

"Choose your battles carefully, Stretch," She got close to him, narrowing her eyes and poking him in the chest with her finger threateningly. "You'll be next. And I eat corn-fed, hick-town boys like you for breakfast."

He wagged his head a little, "Who said you could stay over for breakfast?"

"You might want to think about what you just said, Smallville, or I going to think you're _propositioning_ me," she smirked.

In an immediate fluster, Clark pushed his glasses back up his nose and stepped back, "I didn't mean... I wouldn't... That's not what..." he fumbled around for the words, but the truth was, he had none.

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle, "You are _so_ easy."

"Now _that_? That was mean," he glared.

"Oh don't worry, Clarkie," she teased him with Cat's pet name for him. "You're just my favorite play thing, and I think I'm done destroying the break room. I want Chinese. Your place and talk strategy? I'll get my purse." He nodded, not really sure how this all happened so quickly. She stopped in the doorway. "And by the by? I _meant_ for play thing to sound dirty."

His head shot up, but his mouth wasn't informed of the move, so it just kind of hung there.

Lois chuckled with glee, "Oh, Smallville, you're so easy!"

She disappeared, leaving him glaring and flustered yet again. About an hour later, they sat in the center of Clark's apartment and ate Chinese food, but of course, a whole new argument had broken out.

"There's _no_ way."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm telling you."

"You did not get this from the place on Siegel. There's no way. I've eaten there, and it's disgusting. This is seriously the best Chinese food I've ever had, where did you get it, reveal your source, Smallville," she growled.

"I told you, it _was_ the place on Siegel. I stopped on the way home!"

Truth be told, he had flown over to a little place in Shanghai that he found when he was traveling last year. They made the best sesame chicken in the world, but it's not like he was about to tell her that.

She pointed at him with her chopsticks, "I'm not going to let this go."

"It wouldn't be _you_ if you did," he chuckled, taking another bite.

Lois rolled her eyes and pushed her plate away, making room to spread her files across his coffee table. "Now, I couldn't get anything from Tess about it, but my guy down at Homeland Security told me-

"You have a guy at Homeland Security?"

"Smallville..." she gave him an exhausted look. "I've got a guy _everywhere_. You're only as good as your sources, that's like the first rule in the book." He gave her a sassy look. "Don't do that. You just end up looking _cute_." Her eyes got big when she realized what she had said and decided to push on. "Anyways... He said that there's one other outfit that has access into the kind of facilities like the one in Washington. It's run by some guy named Steve Trevor."

Clark all but choked on his food, "Uh... Never heard of him."

She shrugged, "There's not a lot on him. He's former Air-Force, but there was some _incident_ overseas and then poof, all of his muscle-y goodness vanished, and now all I can find is that his name was on some paper with these A.R.G.U.S. people."

He looked over the file and gazed across his military photo with a frown, "He isn't _that_ muscle-y."

"Aww, is someone feeling a little insecure?" she snickered.

"I'm just saying," he muttered.

Lois chuckled a little bit before turning her file to the next page. "What I have found out though, is these A.R.G.U.S. folks are definitely a thorn in my father's paw. That can only mean _good_ things for us."

He swallowed awkwardly and sat up, "Lois... You don't _have_ to... It's just that... Back there, things got really _intense_, and I don't think anyone would blame you for sitting this one out, I can handle-"

"Look, the thing with my dad... We're not like you and _your_ parents. They're, _perfect_, and happy to have you. My mom died when I was super young, and I've never really seen eye-to-eye with my dad. He always wanted a son, and he got me instead, and I'm pretty sure the first words my sister Lucy heard were, '_Not another one._' I'm _used_ to disappointing him."

A small smile stretched across his face, and he reached out and grabbed her hand, "Well, I can't speak for him, but I think it's really _admirable_ that you would do the right thing, even if it means taking the personal hit."

It surprised her a little that she didn't pull back, but maybe even more how comfortable she was with it. "I think having people like Superman around, it reminds me that sometimes it's good to be a little selfless for the greater good," she smiled.

"I think having people like _you_ around, are what make Superman think there _is_ a greater good," he smiled back.

And that, is how Lois Lane _kissed_ Clark Kent.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? haha. It turned out a little shorter than I would have liked, but I think that some of you will be happy with how it ended all the same, haha. Try not to kill me for leaving it there! haha. Anyways, shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! I'm sure you'll have plenty to say! haha.

Until next time!


	41. The Morning After

**Review Comments:**

_**Jas- El**_ - He's certainly got a way with her, doesn't he? haha. And she has her ways with him. It was nice to write just a simple chapter with two of my favorite characters. I think they both see something they desperately need in each other, whether it's when Clark sees the never-ending will to do good in Lois or when she sees the depth and goodness that he has tucked away inside. They compliment each other perfectly, and that's why I love them.

_**RollingUpHigh**_ - Finally! haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

_**tua33915**_ - Maybe in the near future, haha. I love to leave things to the imagination!

_**Superfan2**_ - Well, I guess I should bring up the fact that this is going to be an on-going story. It's not that I have some end game planned or anything, so things can't be different in the sense that I'm going to kill off Clark and just write a story about Lex or something. I promise that some of the things I have planned, arcs and such, are not going to be popular with those that like to remain rigid to the canon. But it's not going to be a situation where something happens and Clark just hangs up the cape or dies, because like my other story, Kill Me or Kiss Me, it's an on-going. Things will happen that will shake Clark to his core, because there will be battles that Lex wins. There will be moments when Clark realizes that some of the morals he holds dear, will not win out in the end. So hopefully you'll keep reading and I'll surprise you.

_**Fallschirmjagergewehr**_ - I'm a big Superman and DC fan, so I'll be diving pretty deep across the universe. It's going to be a little focused on Superman and Metropolis for a little bit, but I definitely have plans for the rest of the DCU's role in his life and Aquaman is a personal favorite, and there is an arc in the works that he is at the forefront of, so watch for that!

_**Knight121198**_ - Thanks! No plans to stop anytime soon!

_**LoisNClark4Ever**_ - I think you'll be please with how it goes, hahaha. I wanted to keep certain aspects, but you can definitely tell where things are going, haha. I know how you guys love your jealous Clark, and Lois is definitely going to toy with him a bit, but she gets hers too because Cat Grant wants to sink her claws into poor Clarkie, haha.

_**spiritedghost**_ - Thanks! By the running commentary, did you mean my author notes or my review comments? Just out of curiosity. I've found readers will review and comment more when you reply to them, and well, reviews let me know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, so I try to keep them coming as much as I can. Glad you're liking the story!

_**cathy03**_ - That she did! haha. See you there! haha.

**Author:** CaptainTightPants12

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Smallville or it's characters, I wouldn't have stopped at ten seasons and this would be saved for an eleventh season. Also, I don't not own DC Comics or any of it's characters or story-lines.

**Summary:** After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.

**Chapter:** #41, the Morning After

**Author's Note: **Sorry guys, my internet wouldn't cooperate, so this is a day late! Hope you still enjoy!

* * *

It was _goofy_ alright.

That's what the whispers of the Daily Planet called that smile on Clark Kent's face. He strutted into the office bright and early with that same smile, and it only seemed to get bigger and bigger the closer he got to his desk.

"Shut your face."

He came to a stop. "What?"

"Just... Shut your face."

Clark frowned a little bit, looking around for where the voice was coming from. "Lois?"

Her head popped up over the walls of her desk, eyes narrowed so tightly that he couldn't quite tell if they were actually open or not. "Wipe off that smile. Last night _didn't_ happen. Shut your face. Right now."

"I'm _pretty_ sure it happened," he smirked.

"Get your prescription checked."

He pushed his glasses up his nose with an even bigger smirk plastered on his face, "You know, just because I might not be able to see the color of your _underwear_ like Superman can, it doesn't mean I would mistake last night."

Lois twisted up her face, "Wait! How do _you_ know about that?!"

"...Uh ...You told me," he paled a bit. The smirk dropping off his face quickly.

"No, I didn't," she folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

He started to fumble with his words, "Well... Superman has x-ray vision... So, I mean... It's not a _leap_ to... I'm just saying if he wanted to... A skirt isn't exactly _harder_ to see through than a wall... Unless it's a _lead_ skirt... Do they make those?"

A smirk danced across her face, "Really, Smallville?"

"What?"

"Are you trying to say if _you_ had x-ray vision, you'd be checking out my ass, so Superman must?"

He met her stare and decided to be bold, "Like you _wouldn't_ check out mine?"

Lois felt her gaze drop for a second, "Well, I-" Her head shot back up and she waved her arms around, "No! _No!_ Do not Clark Kent me. Do not flip this on me! _Nothing_ happened last night. I do not get involved with co-workers!"

"It felt pretty involved last night," he smirked.

She pointed at him with fire in her eyes, "I _will_ kill you, Smallville. Go play with Jimmy."

"Why do-"

"_Go play with Jimmy!_"

Across town, John Corben was coming to. Lex had put the final touches on his suit, and they booted him up. The world looked different through his eyes now. It was green and he could see things. Calculations and information.

"What you are seeing is called a heads up display," Lex explained.

"I can... I can see your body temperature... Your bones... Where they've been broken..."

He nodded, "To pinpoint my _weaknesses_. All wonderful little toys that will help you along your way. We've made you _better_, Sergeant Corben. We have given you all the tools that you need to complete your first mission."

Corben eyed his hands, now metallic and strong. "What mission, sir?"

General Lane gripped the metal joint that was formerly John Corben's shoulder. "We've let this menace run around for long enough, son. It's time for you to put him down. Your mission is to _kill_ Superman, Sergeant."

The metal creaked as he balled up his fist, a sinister grin forming, "Sir, yes, sir."

It took Clark a while to find her. The Daily Planet was a big place after all. He had already batted away the advances of a certain Entertainment and Arts reporter, and listened to ten minutes of Ron Troupe explain how LexCorp was going to run "mom & pop" businesses out of Metropolis with his new LexMarts rolling out in the near future.

He finally found her in the break-room, munching on a maple bar and scribbling down notes from her files.

"I thought I told you to go play with Jimmy?"

Clark rolled his eyes and poured himself a cup of coffee. "If you must know, we ran downtown to catch a glimpse of some of Queen Industries' new gadgets and gizmos, and Jimmy _only_ played with them for about half an hour."

"And you watched, I take it?" she quirked an eyebrow. "Are you one of those guys that likes to _watch_, Smallville?"

"Only if it's something _worth_ watching, Lois," he bantered back with ease.

Lois gave him a sassy look, "I'm sure."

He leaned against the counter, "So, what have you been-"

A football came flying from out of the blue, smashing into Clark and spilling his coffee all over him. Steve Lombard jogged into the breakroom, "I totally called out for you, Dent. Why didn't you catch it?!"

Clark grimaced, "Because my name is _Kent_, Mr. Lombard. Kent, with a _K_."

"Same thing," he laughed and clapped Clark on his shoulder.

Lois tried to hold back a laugh, turning into a snort. Clark glared at her as Lombard walked away laughing.

"I don't even have a spare," he grumbled as he took off his jacket, folding it over the back of the chair next to Lois.

"Maybe Jimmy can lend you one? How do you feel about _orange_?"

He gave her a sharp look, "I'm more of a blue guy. My mom says it brings out my eyes."

She snickered and wagged her head, "Does your mother _always_ dress you, Smallville? I mean, have you ever heard of a tailor? This might have been a mercy strike. That suit looks at least two sizes _too big_ anyways."

"I love this suit," he mumbled.

His fingers slid down the front of his dress shirt, pulling the wet spots away from his chest as he unbuttoned it. Lois snickered as she watched him fidget, but her mouth started to hang as she saw his under-shirt cling to his farm boy muscles.

"...Get out of here, Smallville."

He looked up, "What?"

"Get out of here, go play with Jimmy or something."

"Lois, you can't be serious," he started to laugh.

She stood up out of her seat and pointed towards the door. "I can't work with all of..." she waved her hand over her chest and abs wildly. "..._that_ going on in here! Go. Now. Or I _will_ kill you, and I'm not even joking. I will stuff that brick of lasagna that has been sitting at the bottom of the refrigerator since before even _I_ worked here."

He twisted his brow up, "That's disgusting."

"Exactly," she said, pointing at the door again. "So go play with Jimmy."

Clark rolled his eyes and made his way towards the door, "Since _you_ can't control yourself, I'll go," he chuckled.

Her eyes widened, "Oh you so did _not_ just go there!"

"Oh, but I did."

She walked up to him and poked him in the chest. "I was not in my right mind last night. For all I know, you drugged me or used some kind of _corn-fed psychic_ trick on me. Clearly I wasn't thinking straight!"

"_You_ kissed me, Lane! I was just sitting there minding my business!"

"_You_ were holding my hand! You were practically begging me for it!"

"Me?! I was begging for it?! You almost _broke_ my glasses you threw them away so hard!"

"They were poking into my face! And need I remind you that you're paying to sew my favorite _blouse_?!"

_**. . . .exactly five minutes later. . . .**_

"_Work!_ I said you'd _work_ better if you were mad at each other! That was not work! At least not the kind I _pay_ you for!"

Clark nodded, his glasses skewed and his clothes crumpled in his lap. "Yes, sir."

Lois pushed the hair that was stuck to the sweat on her forward away, "Got it, Chief."

"If I have to pay for Olsen's _therapy_, it's coming out of your paychecks!"

"We were barely doing anything!" Lois groaned. "He didn't _see_ anything!"

Perry laughed coldly, "Tell that to the _broken table_!"

"I think that there was a _structural flaw_ in the table's legs, sir..." Clark mumbled.

A few moments later, when they were properly yelled at, Lois and Clark did the walk of shame through the center of the bullpen. Jimmy looked like a kid that stole cake, while Lombard made cat-calls. Cat Grant was far from happy as she folded her arms and glared at Clark, "You could do so much better than Lane, Clarkie!"

With a huff, Lois stopped and stepped up on a chair. "Look! Nothing happened!"

There was a murmur of laughs and whispers.

"Lombard hit Smallville with a football, he dropped his coffee, I slipped on it, and Clark grabbed me to try and stop me from falling over, and we ended up both falling onto the break-room table. Nothing happened!"

There was some silence before a cheer of whoops and cheers.

"You people are _impossible_," she growled as she used Clark for support to drop down. "This place is a mad-house, can we go someplace else and work on this story? We're never going to get any work done here."

He smirked, "Chinese?"

Lois narrowed her eyes, but her mouth wasn't on the same page as she smirked herself, "And that's _all_ you're getting."

Clark tried to look innocent, but Lois recognized that same mischievous glint in his eyes as he offered his arm to her. They jumped on the elevator and made their way towards the ground floor and out onto the street.

"So, I wanna see where you're getting this amazing Chinese food-"

The ground shook beneath their feet, Clark's arms went out to Lois to hold her upright. "What the hell was that?!"

He shook his head, looking around for the source of the boom. It didn't take long to find it."

"Lois Lane!"

She turned to see what Clark was looking at, sucking in her breath in shock. A large metallic figure stopped through the street over, destroying the pavement beneath it's feet. As it grew closer, the helmet opened with a clank.

"I want your friend Superman, Lois. Metallo is _ready_ for round two."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, What did you think? haha. I promised some heat before we jumped into more action, and hopefully this satisfied some of you, haha. I've gotta run, only have internet for the moment and I wanna get this posted, but let me know what you thought about everything! Shoot me some reviews!


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